Names

I love it when reading other blogs gets my wheels turning and my brain churns out ideas! Sometimes it's what I would call "sympathetic blogging," where I run a parallel of thoughts with what I read, and other times it's something my comment spurred.
Here's a little sympathetic blogging: Janae is enjoying picking names for a baby on the way, and it got me thinking about why I love my children's names!

Ender is Elias Anders. 
We decided on each of his names quite backwards. We knew we liked the nickname Ender long before we knew the gender of the baby.
Michael and I were on a road trip (I don't even remember where), and we were reading Ender's Game aloud to each other. We were constantly impressed by the boy's ability to stand up against so much pressure and so many expectations. He has to save the world! And no one is shy in telling him that. He's given seemingly unachievable tasks, but somehow he does even more remarkable things than expected. 
Michael and I can't help but expect so much from our oldest child. Our expectations come from our hope. We believe in him, we want him to grasp his full potential and live a full life, be the kind of person who is complete in his values, integrity, happiness and strength. Ender. Ender lasts through the challenges and emerges champion. Ender is a finisher of incredible feats. 
And I think Life is an incredible feat. And I think my son will not only survive but come through as a hero.


Eventually, we settled on Ender's middle name. Anders. It's a family name on both sides. Originally, we'd thought of using the name Andrew (which is the book-Ender's real name) so that his nickname would be legitimate. During my pregnancy, my sister Liz had her fourth child and named him Andrew. Aside from the copying of the name, I really just felt like my son was not Andrew.

Finally, two weeks before Ender was born, we fell in love with the name Elias.
Michael came to me with his Bible open to the Bible Dictionary and pointed at "Elias." Bold emphasis added, this is an excerpt of the entry:

Elias. There are several uses of this word in the scriptures. Elias in [some] instances can only be the ancient prophet Elijah whose ministry is recorded in 1 and 2 Kings. Elias is also a title for one who is a forerunner, for example, John the Baptist. These passages are sufficiently clarified to show that anciently two Eliases were spoken of, one as a preparer and the other a restorer. John was sent to prepare the way for Jesus, Jesus himself being the Restorer who brought back the gospel and the Melchizedek Priesthood to the Jews in his day. In this particular instance there is reflected also the comparative functions of the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods. The title Elias has also been applied to many others for specific missions or restorative functions that they are to fulfill.
Thus the word Elias has many applications and has been placed upon many persons as a title pertaining to both preparatory and restorative functions. Only by divine revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith is this topic brought into focus for us who live in the last days.

Elias is one who can prepare people for the coming of the Lord. I think of this in many ways; Ender can be an example to his siblings (well, he has just one so far but I'm thinking ahead) and others--including Michael and me--for the coming of Jesus Christ not only literally but symbolically, in our hearts. Then, someday as a missionary, Ender can prepare others more actively. I guess I should say that the "symbolic" preparation is the same as the literal preparation. I probably just think of a mission as a more on-purpose approach.

That is my son. He is a leader, he has been a righteous example from the start, and he is incredible.

Scarlett Estelle...
It's funny to me that everyone seems to hunt for a nickname for this little dolly. Sometimes we sing her name like "Scarla-larla," and we do it often enough that I can't even remember if I did it first or Michael or Ender did.
At a family Christmas party, someone said that with a name like Scarlett and her full head of hair to match, I'd better watch out! That made me laugh. Because I probably had better watch out. I mean, she's a girl...she's MY girl. Yes, I'd better watch out even if her name is something like, um, Fancy Lolly (!). Hah! Okay, that was... we're moving on.

Scarlett Estelle actually means Red Star. Considering Michael's background with Russian and studies of Communism, that's pretty hilarious. But we dismiss the silliness when it comes to why we really love her name.

Scarlett is a color.
My favorite color. Red. Red, symbolically, is powerful.
Red is passion. The passion of love, love deep enough for the most humanly-impossible sacrifice: the Savior's Atonement. Red is like His blood, and His blood was shed in ultimate love.
The more I ponder this, the deeper all the many meanings become. Scarlett, to me, means absolute Love.

Estelle is French for "star." 
This holds a menagerie of meanings for me. Stars...stars on one hand mean to me the promise Heavenly Father has given us of countless blessings for living a Christ-like life. Stars are promises of happiness.
Stars are beautiful. They inspire in the hearts of all mankind the dreams to expand knowledge, reach higher, think bigger, and in all, become more God-like. Stars deepen our thoughts.
Stars are lights. They can be seen even better on the darkest of nights. They are used for guidance and navigation. They can be looked to for direction and comfort. They shine.

Scarlett Estelle is my Love Light. :)