Your Name…

This week’s challenge in our calligraphy group was to be inspired by your name. Look up it’s meaning or origin and simply be creative with what you find. I looked up ‘Ann’ and is has many meanings and spellings. I also listed a variety of ‘Anns’ who are notorious for one reason or another. The name is well represented across a variety of professions and skills. I was proud to share some similar spelling with these amazing women.

I was named after my Aunt, my Mom’s older sister. I enjoy being named for someone. I have something to relate to, a story to share, and a heritage to uphold. It somehow grounds me within my family clan and continues a well loved name for another generation. I usually have it misspelled as most people add an ‘e’; that is the English version. The American version does not have an ‘e’.

Our name means something, or it should. We carry it with us everywhere we go, and in many cases it is the first thing used to identify us and our luggage. When people see our name there are words that come to mind, adjectives that we live…words like kind, friendly, funny, creative, clever, smart, cruel, angry, foolish, confident or maybe even a word like loved. These words and the actions behind them give our names meaning, they identify us and make us different than every other ‘Ann’ on the planet. Our skills, our talents, our abilities, our thoughts and our ideas all combine to create a picture of who we are and what we believe to be important.

So when people see your name, what words come to mind? Do you know? Are they the words you would want people to use to describe you? Are there portions of who you are that no one knows, not even your closets friends? Does your family really know you, or do they only know and remember the sixteen year old version of yourself? Maybe it is time for you to be intentional about who you are , what you believe, and act and communicate in such a way that people use the words you want when they see your name. No matter how they spell it, make sure they know the real you, the wonderful you, the you future generations will hear about and wish they had known.