What's in a name...

Good morning! The sun is shining in my window this morning and I am going to embrace it. It may only be 21 degrees outside, but from the inside looking out it looks like a lovely day. "This is the day that the Lord hath made...I will rejoice and be glad in it!"

I have been working in Ian's room a lot lately. I had to clean out more of his things and organize a little deeper in there. Not a fun task to say the least. I am having a quilt made from some of Ian's clothes. How awesome will that be to have our little guy's clothes to wrap up in? I am not using all of them. Don't worry...I have plenty left that will not be cut to pieces so that I can always remember just how small he was and of course how good of a dresser he was. LOL! As I have been rummaging through memories I found something that meant a lot to me. A friend of ours painted a sign for Ian's room with the meaning of his name on it. The sign was painted in the colors to match his room and it said..."God is gracious."

Irony anyone??? When Wae and I were told we were having a little boy we agonized over the name we would choose for him. You see...in Wae's family the man's name has been handed down for generation after generation. We decided to carry on the name "Andy" but to choose a new first name. Ironic??? We didn't use the family name and we were blessed with a special child with a limited life expectancy??? Anyhow...we had many names to choose from but I was focused on the "meaning" of each name. The final two choices were "Aidan" meaning fiery and "Ian" meaning God is gracious. That was the deciding factor. The meaning....We felt God had been so gracious to us in our life...we had good jobs, a nice home, good families, good friends, faith, and we were expecting a child. What a blessing. Little did we know a few months later how our faith would be tested through our little blessing Ian. (Just a sidenote...the name Aidan meaning fiery could have matched his little personality perfectly. Just sayin'...he was a little spitfire!)

So...I say all of this to you to pose the question "What's in a name?" Does a name really mean something or is it "just a name." I know that after all we have been through in the past 2 1/2 years we still feel as though God is gracious. Very gracious...look at all the good that came from Ian! Rhizo Kids, stronger marriage, closer friends, closer family, stronger faith, me speaking at churches and sharing my faith with others, and a greater appreciation of blessings in life. I mean really...God IS gracious! He didn't have to bless us so much, but he did because he IS gracious.

As we dream of having future kids I have already started the hunt for the perfect name. Yes...the old Mary is coming back. I am planning ahead and dreaming and being hopeful of the blessings God has in store for our family. I already agonize over the name and I'm not even pregnant and we aren't adopting anytime soon. I guess it is kind of silly, but it gives me something to look forward to. So, just for fun...look up the meaning of your name or your kids names and see if the meaning really has meaning for you or if it's just a name.

Well, I better go. Dirty dishes and dirty clothes are screaming out my name this morning. I'll be heading out soon to get Ian's quilt made and I am so excited about it! This has been a project I have worked on for months and I so hope it turns out the way I am hoping it will. Talk to ya later.....................

Attached a cute picture of Ian today...As I look at it I can't help but wonder..."Do you think Ian's hair is that crazy in Heaven or do you think it actually lays down flat?" Just a thought.......