29/365 Name Tags

The other day at coffee Astrid said it would be so nice if we wore name tags at church. I mentioned that the parish where I was baptized did wear them for a long time--it was a brand new parish with no history at all, and everyone was new. They were gray with white raised letters--probably made on some handheld punch machine. But durable--my mother's is still in her jewelry box along with other trinkets that won't make any sense in another generation. Everybody wore them and nobody felt embarrassed for not knowing someone.

So many times, especially in the past 5 years, someone will say "Good morning Bridgett" at church and I can reply with a friendly greeting but not with a name. And they know me well enough to use my first name...or at least know OF me well enough. I am shy by nature on top of being rather oblivious to details sometimes, and so I'm mortified. Sometimes I figure it out through other connections. Or I ask someone I trust. But other times I just wish we had a better way.

We had a good idea--a parish pictorial directory. When it came out, we sat in that Worship Commission meeting for a half hour perusing. But it wasn't complete. So many families didn't participate at all. There were still regular faces at mass completely unknown to me. I am in and out so much--with each baby I was down for the count for a bit, and of course there have been several long stretches where I didn't go at all. If I introduce myself now, what will that look like? Then again, when it happens to me, I never take it personally. No, sometimes I do. But not usually.

But upon further reflection sitting in Astrid's kitchen watching Leo play on the floor, I thought about the transient nature of our parish. How folks come and go and sometimes come back but sometimes disappear into the ether. Name tags? They probably wouldn't work. An idea whose time is not now, not here.