Written September 12, 2010
In Honor of the Late
Dr. William Briggs Gallagher, D.C.
Momma's Breckin
Born March 15th, 2009
Your name stands
for strength and integrity. You were
going to originally be named Lennon (like John Lennon) since Momma loves the
beauty within his songs. However 2009
was a very difficult year for your daddy and I, starting with my father (Your
Grandpa Vail) having a terrible auto accident leaving him crippled. Then several days later your Papa Gallagher
was brought to the hospital by ambulance, he was so frail and we were told he wouldn’t
make it due to the sickness that had stricken his body. But you kept me strong; I could feel your
strength within me. The beauty of your
life that hadn’t even began but yet a life that was about to end, I stand there
strong because of your presence. The
night came and went and Papa didn’t pass in fact they rushed him into emergency
surgery and his body sustained, pulling through. As I stand next to him I took his hand and
put it on my belly so he could feel you, thinking that just maybe that would
give him the ever flowing energy he needed to strengthen his body to heal.
We take for
granted every day of our life as your Grandpa Vail did, luckily only harming
himself and no others due to his reckless drinking. That is when I decided not to use the middle
name Vail because I was tired of the hurt and pain my father; your grandfather
had put me through for thirty-three yrs.
Therefore the
mission began; we needed to find a name that represented the strength you have
shown me in the 7 months I had known you within my womb. So while I sit in the waiting room in the
Hospital where you’re Papa Gallagher lay still, surgery after surgery, I’m
handed two amazingly beautiful leather bound Books; the History of the
Gallagher’s lye within these pages. It brought
me back to the first time I watched “The Never Ending Story”, in the beginning
when the young boys hand softly caressed over the leather as he could feel the
stories and energies pouring through his being, I could feel those same
energies. As I begin scanning the pages
I notice a lot of repeats in names but also find some very interesting names
but none of them felt like you. Until I
was introduced to your Great, Great Grandmother Sara McKinnon Gallagher,
McKinnon being her maiden name; I knew it would be the perfect fit for
you. After a few days of saying your
name out loud we weren’t a hundred percent convinced, we worried that people
would call you Mickie “Yo Mickie” in the Italian accent voice is all I could
hear but I still loved McKinnon.
Still no name
and only three more weeks to delivery, I thought to myself we already knew your
brother was Briggs long before I was ever pregnant and daddy does not want to
go with all names beginning with “B”; what do we do. Papa Gallagher is still in the Hospital and
were making several trips to see him; all the staff there named him the
“Miracle Man”. His doctors said there
should have been No way anyone could live through what his body had sustained
but he too was a fighter and he was so excited to meet you. Papa’s hands were so soft and kind, he would
lay his hand on you in my belly and your energies joined, it was like you were
one.
After picking
your brother Briggs up from school we decided to go home and have a movie
afternoon until daddy got home. Briggs
loves his shows, so he chose to watch “Garfield” which just happens to be
mommas’ favorite cartoon growing up, we popped popcorn and there we watched our
show. After the show, I began watching
the credits and that is when I discovered the main character “John” his real
name “Breckin Myers”. I had never heard
that name, so I looked it up on the internet to see if it had a meaning. Breckin is a Celtic/Irish name and it means
freckled one, I loved it. I will never
forget saying Breckin out loud that day; you literally flipped in my
belly. You loved it too! Briggs even looked up and pointed to my belly
and said “Breckin”, my smile was huge, my heart so excited to tell daddy and
see what he thought. Daddy was with
patients all day so I decided to text him, “What do you think of Breckin” and
not even two seconds later he text back and said he loved it. Then he sent a message asking “What about his
middle name”, I thought to myself we still need that representation of strength
since you had shown me and taught me already so much about this journey of
life. That is when I said out loud
“Breckin McKinnon Gallagher” a name to be reckoned with, a strong, beautiful
name that represented your Irish heritage.
I called daddy instead this time and told him the complete story since
he wasn’t there, he agreed that was definitely your name.
You were born
March 15th by emergency C-section due to you going into tachycardia
but you were born a very healthy 10.3lb Beautiful boy, once Again teaching me
strength. We were discharged from the
hospital, the same hospital your Papa lye with his body failing due to the
entire trauma it could not sustain. Here
I stand in the hospital outside Papa’s room with you now in my arms, new of
life, it was time Papa and you meet flesh to flesh. I lay you in Papa Gallagher’s arms thinking
again to myself just maybe this new life would give him the energy to fight
through even though deep down inside I knew, he knew and you knew his time on
this earth was coming to an end.
That day your
Papa was so happy to have all his family there; he could feel your spirit
pouncing on his tired but amazing spirit.
You made him smile. He passed
April 14th, nearly a month after you were born. His beauty and all he stood for resides within
you and Briggs. May you never forget who
you are, where you have traveled from and what you stand for because without
that you are just another pebble in the sea.
You are my honor and my strength; you are a greatness that is beyond
words, Thank You for choosing me as your mommy!!
