What's In a Name?

I don't know how it got to be halfway through the month already!  Winter has set in and it's so easy to hibernate, especially when it's overcast.  This morning the sun was a welcome sight and I and I already know that there won't be enough hours in the day.   So I'm starting now!  Coffee,  flowers from my sister and the remnants of our first snowfall are a wonderful way to start the day. 



People’s names have always interested me.  I love reading about the history and meaning behind a name and comparing it to the person.  As a teacher I’ve known many names over the years and it’s amazing how similar personality characteristics can shine through.  I think we were most in tune with this when we were choosing names for our children.  We read the baby name book every night when I was pregnant, looking for just the right name.  The list constantly evolved as we found ones that we liked (“she is such a sweet girl!”) or eliminated those that had bad associations (we can’t use that one – he was a jerk in 3rd grade”).  We decided on Stephen, which means, “crown, victorious” and later Lauren, which means “crowned with laurel.”  Apparently crowns were an important component in our selection process!  Their names also sounded right, which was also a key component, and most importantly they looked like our Stephen and Lauren should.

My name is a good fit, too. My mom always wanted a Susan and fortunately none of her brothers had chosen that name for their daughter.  It was very popular the year I was born and several of my best friends were some variation of it.  Back to the similar personality characteristics I guess!  It is out of vogue now; in fact, in all of my years of teaching I have never had a Susan. One Suzanne, but never a Susan.

My name has a Hebrew origin, meaning “lily”.  I was delighted to learn this many years ago because lilies have always been one of my favorite blooms.   I didn’t actually NEED validation to expand our garden collection but it is helpful information when you just can’t resist another bulb catalog or walk past that lily vendor at a garden show.  See, Scott?  It’s DNA and I just can’t help myself.

So today I'm thrilled to have an excuse to photograph my namesake flower.  And I love that my parents chose such a perfect name for me.




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