What does your last name mean?

By Diane Forrest

Not long after I married my husband we adopted a dog, a gift from a coworker.   My husband named him BJ, I don't know why, I guess it was like B.J. Honeycutt from the show MASH.  Hawkeye, determined to find out what his actual name was tried every way he could think of to find his true name, when in the end it was discovered that he was named after his parents, mom, Bea, and father Jay.  My husband must have really like the name, because with each dog afterwards was also given the moniker BJ.  

Naming a person is a little more important.  I learned very early that names were very symbolic, as in the Bible.  In some of the verses it would list the names of the people along with the meaning of the name.  So I assumed that if it was important enough to include the meaning of the name in the Bible, then it was important while naming a child today.  

When asking my parents about the origin of my name, and why it was chosen, I was hoping for a cool story rich with history.  The truth was, my father, who picked my name, told me he just like the name, and Diane was not a very over used name.  It means goddess of the moon, so I liked that part.

When it came time to name my child I gave a lot of thought to it.  With the history in my husband's family, I figured I would have a girl.  Everyone in his family had girls first.  It wasn't hard to come up with a name.  My last name at the time was McCoy, so I wanted to pick a name that sounded good with that, then I recalled a favorite poem of mine, Annabelle Lee, by Edgar Allen Poe.  Thinking that Annabelle was a little "dated" I decided on a more modern Amanda, and she could also be called Mandy, a favorite song by the wonderful Barry Manilow.  So, my choice was Amanda Leigh McCoy right from the beginning.  My trouble began when in my excitement, I blurted it out to everyone so when my sister -in-law, who was also expecting had her baby first, she named her Amanda.  Luckily, the problem was resolved when my little girl came out as a little boy.  Then another problem arose.  I was so sure I would have a girl, that I had never even considered boy's names.  A friend of mine brought a name book to the hospital, and I set about combing through the pages to find the perfect name for my little bundle of joy.  He was a beautiful baby boy, born by Cesarian, so there was no misshaped head or "stork bites" that can occur during a normal delivery.  I wanted to choose a name that was as sweet and beautiful as he was, but one that also had an important meaning.  I chose his name for the sweet sound of it, and it was not that common, and had the significant meaning of Healer.  

These days the people that I know don't even think about name meanings when naming a child.  My husband's last grandchild was named after sporting equipment, and the one before that has a name that means a pile of rocks. 

One important piece of advice I learned early was before you name a child, open the door and scream it as loud as you can.  Make sure you can say it loud and clear, because you will be hollering it for a long time when you call them in for dinner!

Do you know what your name means? Do you have any special history attached to your name?  Leave us a comment and let us know.

Annabel Lee

It was many and many a year ago,

In a kingdom by the sea,

That a maiden there lived whom you may know

By the name of ANNABEL LEE;

And this maiden she lived with no other thought

Than to love and be loved by me.

I was a child and she was a child,

In this kingdom by the sea;

But we loved with a love that was more than love-

I and my Annabel Lee;

With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven

Coveted her and me.

And this was the reason that, long ago,

In this kingdom by the sea,

A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling

My beautiful Annabel Lee;

So that her highborn kinsman came

And bore her away from me,

To shut her up in a sepulchre

In this kingdom by the sea.

The angels, not half so happy in heaven,

Went envying her and me-

Yes!- that was the reason (as all men know,

In this kingdom by the sea)

That the wind came out of the cloud by night,

Chilling and killing my Annabel Lee.

But our love it was stronger by far than the love

Of those who were older than we-

Of many far wiser than we-

And neither the angels in heaven above,

Nor the demons down under the sea,

Can ever dissever my soul from the soul

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.

For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And the stars never rise but I feel the bright eyes

Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;

And so, all the night-tide, I lie down by the side

Of my darling- my darling- my life and my bride,

In the sepulchre there by the sea,

In her tomb by the sounding sea. 

Edgar Allan Poe

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Spiritual Wellness Month

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By Akindman

Spiritual Wellness is a personal matter involving values and beliefs that provide a purpose in our lives. While different individuals may have different views of what spiritualism is, it is generally considered to be the search for meaning and purpose in human existence, leading one to strive for a state of harmony with oneself and others while working to balance inner needs with the rest of the world.

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It is important for everyone to explore what they believe is their own sense of meaning and purpose.

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The path to spiritual wellness may involve meditation, prayer, affirmations, or specific spiritual practices that support your connection to a higher power or belief system. Yoga and meditation can also help you develop spiritual wellness.

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Having compassion, the capacity for love and forgiveness, altruism, joy, and fulfillment help you enjoy your spiritual health. Your religious faith, values, beliefs, principles, and morals define your spirituality.

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Steps to Encourage Spiritual Wellness

• Explore your spiritual core — Ask yourself the big questions: Who am I? Why did I come here? Why do humans/the world exist? Why is there evil? What happens after death?
• Be quiet — Spend time alone and meditate regularly. Meditation is the process of being fully here, with all concentration focused on the now. By living in the present and letting go of the past and not worrying about the future, we can achieve the inner peace that we strive for while practicing meditation. There are many forms of meditation; find out which one is right for you.
• Be inquisitive and curious — An attitude of active searching increases your options and your potential for spiritual centering. Don't shut doors before you check out what's behind them.
• Be receptive to grief and pain — Pain is a deepener. Allow yourself to feel the pain fully, then ask what it's trying to teach you.
• Be and Do — Spirituality is about more than reading; it's about "doing" and being fully in the present moment in everything you do.
• Witness the choices you make in each moment — Bring them into consciousness; ask yourself what the consequences of a choice are and if the choice will bring fulfillment and happiness. Listen with the heart and be guided by messages of comfort and discomfort. If there is comfort, go for it! If there is discomfort, pause and reevaluate.
• Practice acceptance — See that life right now is as it "should be." Do not struggle against the universe by struggling against the moment. Take responsibility for your life without blaming anyone, including yourself. See what the situation can teach you and how you can share this teaching with others.
• Practice detachment — Allow yourself and those around you the freedom to be who they are. Recognize uncertainty as an essential aspect of life. See that solutions come out of problems, confusion, and chaos, and that uncertainty is the path to freedom.
• Be playful — Spirituality is in music, art, dance, laughter, singing, and all of life.
• Look for deeper meanings — If you notice that certain themes keep coming up over and over in your life, rather than feeling like you have no control over the situation, ask for the deeper meaning of the pattern to come to you. See the gift in your greatest troubles/problems/challenges. The Chinese word for catastrophe is the same as their word for opportunity.
• Take "seven breath" breaks — Stop periodically throughout the day, close your eyes, and take seven deep, slow belly breaths (breathe in to the count of seven, breathe out to the count of seven, seven times). Then, open your eyes and see your new world.

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We hope that each of you find your own spiritual wellness.

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Learn What Your Name Means

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By Diane Forrest

In January, Beyoncé and Jay Z, popular musicians and a married couple, gave birth to a baby girl.  She was given the name Blue Ivy.  Alot of eyebrows went up over that name, but lately there have been alot of strange names given to newborns.  Some names from other celebrities include:

Kal-El, son of Nicolas Cage

Pilot Inspektor, son of Jason Lee

Apple, daughter of Gwyneth Paltrow

Suri, Daughter of Tom Cruise

Sage Moonblood, son of Sylvester Stallone

There are many more, and every time I hear of a celebrity giving birth, I think to myself, are they trying to outdo each other on weird names?  Bestowing a name on a baby is an awesome responsibility.  I remember growing up listening to the story of the birth of Jesus, and the angel told Mary, his name will be Jesus.  All throughout the Bible, it mentions the naming of a baby, and the meaning of that name.  Names such as David, Beloved of God; or Mathew, meaning Gift of God;  John, meaning God is Gracious; Mary, meaning Wished for Child, Elizabeth, meaning God is Abundant.  There are some names that bring up bad memories or evil thoughts that aren't used regularly. A few I can think of are Lucifer and Delilah.  Lucifer, which actually means bringing light, was the name given to one of the angels.  It wasn’t until after he fell from God's graces that it became associated with evil.  Delilah means delicate and weak, however when the Delilah in the Bible cut Sampson's hair causing him to lose his strength, the name became associated with wickedness.

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I have been interested in the meaning of names from an early age, it was then that I learned my name, Diane, means Goddess of the Moon.  That name made me feel special especially paired with my middle name, Rene' meaning born again.  This name also peaked my interest in Mythology and caused me to read more about the mythological gods and goddesses.   I was named by my father because he just liked the name.  He insisted my name only had 1 n, and that the last e in Rene' had the apostrophe or "tildy" as he calls it, at the end.  That is also very special to me, knowing that he gave that much thought to naming me.

People have several reasons for choosing the names they bestow upon their children.  They maybe named after family members, named in remembrance of a particular place or event, or just named simply because of a fondness for the name.  When I was pregnant with my son, I assumed that he was a she.  I didn’t even have to think long about a name.  I had a favorite poem, called Annabel Lee by Edgar Allen Poe.  It was about a man who loved a woman so much that even after she was taken away from him he kept on loving her.  Annabel was a bit "old fashioned" so I chose the name Amanda, meaning worthy of love, and Leigh.  It could also be changed to Mandy, another name I liked and would be cute with his last name.  Imagine my surprise when she turned out to be a he!  I had never even considered a boy's name, so I spent the next few days pouring over a baby name book trying to find the perfect name.  My favorite male name was Chris, however, he didn’t look like a Chris to me.  He was a beautiful boy with a sweet face; many thought he was a girl.  So, I combed through the book for a sweet name, and also had a good meaning.  I chose Jason, which means healer.  So far it has worked for him.

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Today is Learn what your name means.  If you don't already know the meaning, you can look it up on this site I have been using today, or check with your parents or other family members to see why you were given the name you have.  I’m sure you will learn some very interesting facts about your beginnings in the world.

http://www.behindthename.com/

Ten most Popular names:

Male	Female
Jacob	Isabella
Ethan	Sophia
Michael	Emma
Jayden	Olivia
William	Ava
Alexander	Emily
Noah	Abigail
Daniel	Madison
Aiden	Chloe
Anthony	Mia