Read:
What's In a Name Part 2
What's In a Name Part 3
Other adoptive parents will understand as I am sure that none of them went through the process without considering whether to accept or change the name of their adopted child. I know that I have thought a lot about it and was sure that I knew I would change the first names of my children to names that had special meaning to me. Today I'm not so sure.
What's in a name? Is it just the melody or rhythm of the name? Is it the pride we share when say it out loud to friends? Is it the feeling we get when we call the name and feel it rolls from our tongues? Is it the surety we feel that when we call them they will answer to the name that they are called? All of the hope and desires that we have for our children are somehow tied to the name. The name represents who we believe them to be, how we want them identified, and how thoughts of the name will serve our children as they grow older.
My name is Valarie. That is Valarie spelled and pronounced with a "vala" and not a "valer". All my life I've had my name spelled wrong or corrected for me when I spell it right. I've constantly been asked "why it is spelled that way?" Nobody ever ask me what it means. I know that I was named Valarie after they threw away the name Gem as a female form of my father's name James. I know that they decided against Vickie Lynn that was a form of my Aunt Johnny Victoria's name. I never heard how they decided on Valarie except for that it was my father who decided. I've never known whether he spelled it wrong or intentionally spelled it differently to be unique. I've never known if he ever knew that there was another way to spell it. What I do know is that I like it the way that it is! I hate when people spell it wrong and I really don't like when people shorten it to call me Val. I don't really identify with that name.
Valarie; however means strong, that fits me. My middle name, "Annette" means grace, favor and mercy. Did my parents know that about me or hope that for me? God's grace and mercy has now allowed or rather provided me the opportunity and responsibility to decide how I name of my children. What will I do?
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