The Name Game

 How do you choose a name?  Our family and friends have a tradition that you take one letter and name your children from that letter.  Addyson and Austin were named from that very tradition.  But, when it came to our little princess, an A name wasn't fitting.  Our family sat in our library throwing out names, but we still couldn't agree.  At her Great-Grandmother's birthday celebration, Addy took my notebook and pen and began a list of names she liked from A-Z:)  She did a pretty good job:) 

    Over the weekend, I kept coming back to the name Sarah.  It didn't fit with our "tradition", but then neither do I.  Everyone in our family has the same initials, except me.  The kids were desperate to have a name, and Andy liked Sarah with an H.   We found a name!!!  Then, I began reflecting on why this name was to be our daughter's name.  That, in itself, is more powerful and more meaningful than the name.  

The name Sarah is a result of the many Sarah's that came before ours and paved a path.

    *Sara was the little 3rd grader, who made an impact on me and started the "red thread" that linked our families together.

    *Sara has the same birthday as our little Sarah, in Eastern Europe.

    *Sarah B from http://angeleyesadoption.blogspot.com/ was kind enough to answer some questions over the summer that began charting our path to adoption.   She wrote about her experience, she wrote from her heart, and she wrote to make a difference.  She never realized the difference she was making  until recently. 

    *When we first announced we were adopting on our blog, we called her "Our Little Princess."  The meaning of Sarah is Princess.

The most important reason of all:
    *Sarah, from  My Name is Sarah http://sarahely8989.blogspot.com/.  I found this blog over the summer and kept coming back to it.  Sarah is 21 with Down Syndrome who blogs about her life, her hobbies, and more recently  her job at the family's quilt store.  Sarah is an inspiration to the endless possibilities that Our Sarah, Bridget, Alina, Zoya, Nadia, Joquain, Sofia, and other special needs children can achieve.  She gives hope to everyone around her.  Her favorite fabric designer even flew into Cleveland for the grand opening of their store.  She made a difference in my life, and the life of our family.  One day, I will travel to Cleveland with our Sarah to meet the Sarah from Jellen's Fabric Store who made a difference!  What a reunion that will be:)

Our Sarah will be rich with love, rich with a heritage of those who came before her, and rich in the meaning of how her name was chosen.  That is all that matters!!!

Sarah