a rose by any other name....

We have always put a lot of thought into our children’s names. We, as in my husband and I, and as in the trinity and I. Separate names, separate processes. Mike and I would take long walks throwing names back and forth. We decided on Samuel after Samwise Gamgee from Lord of the Rings. Sam is my favorite character of this wonderful story. I love him because he is loyal and steadfast and a great friend. He isn’t the biggest or bravest or the best fighter, but in the end Frodo would never have made it through his journey without Sam. It shows that the little acts of love we give to the world can make all of the difference in the end. That really means a lot to me. I think it has proven a wonderful name for my first baby who impresses me always with the depth of his love and kindness and innocence.

Mike wanted Sammy to be Samuel David, but I said that was too, too biblical. And thus was born Samuel Michael. (As a sidenote, I at first wanted to name my son, Joseph, in the Ruwe tradition, but Mike would have none of this. However, he was all for naming Mary after his mother hmmm….) ‘Michael’ is after his(sammy’s) father, but as Mike likes to say, also after the greatest of angels.