This week, I chose:
The Meaning of Your Name...Does It Suit You?
I remember going to Catholic school and we had an assignment where we were supposed to research the saint for whom we were named. (I went to school with a lot of Mary-Katherines and Anne-Maries) I am named Heather. I was rather unsure of what saint I was supposed to report on, since Heather is "a flowering evergreen plant that thrives in the peaty barren lands of Scotland." I jokingly did a report on Moses, since he saw a burning bush. The teacher was not amused.
Likewise, in junior high school, it was pretty popular for girls to have printouts of what their names meant. My friends' rooms were plastered with little ditties like: "Jennifer means generous and understanding" or "Michelle is the feminine of Michael, meaning 'a gift from God'." Even though Heather was the 8th most popular girl's baby name the year I was born, little signs with the meaning of names were severely lacking in the name Heather. After many fruitless searches for MY sign, (I was in junior high....I HAD to have everything my friends had!) I finally found a sign that said "Heather means flower."
While being a flower is not a bad thing at all, it certainly isn't on par with "Gift from God!"
Now, however, I find that Heather really suits me. I really a a petite flower! And like the plant I am named after, I seem to thrive where others do not. Wild Heather does not grow in grasslands or in meadows, but in the moors where other flowers will not thrive. I strive to live a different kind of life. While so many of my friends and family are settled and content living in suburbia, I dream of living in an airstream or a tent. I find the thought of being settled the most unsettling thought imaginable. While I look over at the grasslands and meadows where all my other flower friends have their roots, I feel the salty air of the moors and know there is no other place I could thrive!
And as the story goes, thanks to the plucky little Heather, the moors are more beautiful and less lonely as a result.
4 comments:
I like your take on Heather referring to your resilience. Two thumbs up!
Having been born in Scotland, I'm partial to heather. When my ex and I were together, I planted pots of Scottish heather and Mexican heather on either side of our door (he was Mexican. Well, he still is Mexican, as he's not dead yet. But not for lack of wishful thinking! ;) ). Two of my dearest friends are Heathers. It's a beautiful name for beautiful things and people. You included, my friend. Also? You're awesome, too!! XO
Heather is both a beautiful name and a beautiful flower! I'm glad it fits you!
I mean technically heather really IS a gift from God! So maybe you can claim both meanings. ;)
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