Names and Irony Part 1

 My husband James and I really enjoyed picking our children's names. Their names and meanings were significant to us, and carefully chosen with purpose.

We named our first son James Ethan. James, after my husband, and Ethan, which means "strong, firm, and enduring". We liked that it was a strong Biblical name. Ethan was also the second wisest man in the Bible next to Solomon, so that, too, was a boon. We prayed that no matter what, this child would grow up to stand firm for God. I read somewhere else that the word "impetuous" was also inferred, but we didn't name him after that version of the name.

James and I chose to name our second son Elias Iry. We chose "Elias" because it was the Greek form of Elijah, and it means "mouthpiece of God". Because James and I were growing stronger in our own faith, we wanted this one to truly be a spokesperson for God. We chose his middle name- Iry, in honor of James' great grandfather, a godly man.

Our daughter came along and we chose Lillian Grace, to symbolize the beautiful Lily flower, and encapsulate the imagery of the poetry in the Old Testament: Lily of the Valley. Grace, because that is such a wonderful part of God that we love-- His Grace.

Our fourth and final came along, our son Jack Waylan. Jack is named after C. S. Lewis, one of the greatest Christian apologist of the last century, a favorite author, who chose to be called "Jack" by all those closest to him. Waylan, a wild sounding adventurous name, was inspired by a very dry, witty professor back in our college days. Jack fully lives up to it.

     So, of all the things to happen, the least expected happens. An emergency tracheostomy was performed, near Halloween day 1998, in a hospital in Charlotte NC, on our second son when he was 6 months old. The Dr who performed it said his esophagus was 80% blocked by a subglotic hemangioma, which is fancy for growth in the throat that blocks your airway and ability to breath. Oh, and he would not be able to speak until much later on, because the trach was below his larynx, and air needs to pass over it to make sound.

Ironically, the child we name "mouthpiece of God" is stricken before he is one with a tumor that prohibits speech. It felt like the devil wanted to nip this one in the bud, literally.

To be continued...