Ahhh...what’s in a name?
Shakespeare’s Juliet said..."What's in a
name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
Really William? Could a "Rose" ever
be called "Smelly Tuna?" with the same effect? “Adison Smelly Tuna” would
truly not be quite the same as “Adison Rose” - even
if the flower smelled just as good.
When choosing a name for our third daughter I
really wanted to stay in theme (parties, room décor and names should ALWAYS be
in theme). But in the case of Adi Rose -
the theme was thrown out the window.
Bare with me on my love of themes – especially with the names of
daughters. Our thematic rules were...
- - A first name that ended in “son”
- - TWO middle names that reflected
the female members of our family, preferable in descending order
(great-grandmas for Jensen, grandmas for Emme, and the mother for Baby #3?)
Daughter
#1: Jensen Yvonne Francis
- - FIRST: Jensen was my maiden name
- - MIDDLE: Yvonne Francis is Karl’s
two grandmas’ names
Daughter
#2: Emerson Dorothy Joan
- - FIRST: I just loved the name
Emerson (which also happens to be a distant relative’s name)
- - MIDDLE: We borrowed Dorothy, my
mother’s name (also happens to be the name of both my grandmas – it’s a wonder
I wasn’t named Dorothy too – thanks, Mom for that one! Can anyone see me as a “Dottie?”)... and
Joan, Karl’s mother’s name
Daughter
#3: Decisions, decisions...
- - FIRST: Here were some contenders for
the “son” ending...
o
Winston (Winnie for short) – I loved this
one! So Winston Churchill! Karl hated it – thought we should just go
ahead and use Marlborough for her middle name.
o
Ellison had so many great options for
short names – Elle, Ellis, Ella. The
only problem is that Ellison and Emerson seemed a bit too close.
o
Adalyn (Karl’s second fav- but sadly no
“son”),
o
Graceson (Grace would have been adorable for short)
o
Anderson (I loved Andi for short but Karl thought it was too
masculine) – Anderson is also a family name (all of Karl’s cousins are
“Andersons”)
o
Adison – Karl LOVED this name, and although I really liked the name in
and of itself, I was very disturbed that it was #11 on some name lists. I really, really prefer to avoid trendiness
(my goal was not to use any names ranked in the top 100)
- - MIDDLE: What actually tipped the
scale in favor of Adison was choosing Rose for the middle name. I just fell in love with the sound of Adison
Rose (or Adi Rose).
First off...Rose is SO
out of theme (only ONE middle name – and not in the descending order of
great-grandmas, grandmas and then the mother– which would have been “Julie
Annette”).
However, we
felt like “Rose” is the name the Lord picked out for her. Here is the scoop...
THE SHOWER DECORE: When I
showed up for my baby shower last month I noticed a beautiful bouquet of pink roses on the
table.
Roses from the Baby Shower
THE
LETTER: At that shower my friend Nicole wrote a letter about how she was
praying for the baby and saw a picture of a rose – a rare beauty...with thorns
(not to be easily grabbed). She got the
verse Song of Solomon 2:1-2 (I am a rose
of Sharon, a lily of the valley. Like a lily among thorns, so is my darling among
young women).
The original
Hebrew here for “Rose of Sharon” is a word that indicates this flower seems to
mean literally “Overshadowed By God's Love.”
THE
PRAYER: At the end of the shower, everyone gathered around me to pray for
the baby. Whitney (not knowing about Nicole’s letter) said, “I pictured a rose
and felt like God said that her life will be fragrant before him! Also I asked
God who she is to him and he said ‘she is my princess!’ I felt that she will
know her place next to the Father as the daughter of the King. And that she
will carry an anointing to give that knowledge and assurance to other girls as
she grows up!”
Prayers
at the Shower
THE
FLOWER: The next day I did some research on the plant called the “Rose of
Sharon” and as I prayed, felt some of these plant qualities will apply to the
personality and spirit of our Adison Rose:
o
Rapid growth and high yields
o
Very colourful (white, red, lavender
or light blue)
o
Offers color when many other
flowering shrubs have ceased to bloom (due to blooming in late summer)
o
Attractive and plentiful blooms
o
Can be trained through pruning/
Last season’s growth should be pruned away (which helps produce bigger blooms)
o
Prefers full sun (can get fungus
when older if not in full sun)
o
Can hold it’s own as a specimen
o
Drought tolerant
o
About.com says, “Don’t give up on
the Rose of Sharon, thinking it’s dead just because it hasn’t leafed out by
early summer. The Rose of Sharon not only blooms late, but leafs out late as
well.”
o
Good pollution tolerance
(appropriate for urban gardens)
o
Easy care and low maintenance
o
Buds may drop if plant is watered
too much or too little (or if too much fertilizer is applied)
o
Blooms in Palestine (plain called
Sharon) and is well known for its soothing aroma and pain relieving qualities
Rose of Sharon: very colourful (white, red, lavender
or light blue)
As I step into a new phase of motherhood, with an emphasis on
spending time with my children as Karl begins several new ministries, I am
excited to see what God has in store for a baby with the name Adison Rose!
I think it will be quite the ride!
I think it will be quite the ride!
loved reading this Julie! beautiful!
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