What's in a name?

A lot!  When Paul and I were thinking of names for our baby, we thought a lot about family names.  I really wanted to use a family name so that our child would know his or her heritage and who he or she was named for.  Picking a boy name was simple, however, when Mary Frances was born, we had 2 girl names!  It wasn't until we saw her that we knew she was "Mary Frances."

First time holding sweet Mary Frances

Let me start by explaining her name.  Frances was my grandmother.  Her full name was Frances Frick Smith.  My mom was named Frances for a while.  She was the youngest of 4 children and my grandmother couldn't decide on a name before leaving the hospital, so my mom was Frances until she became Angela.  I was named for my grandmother and my full name is Frances Kathryn.  Frances was also a red head and she prayed for a redheaded child.  Not having one, she prayed for redheaded grandchildren and I was the only one!  It was very fitting that I was named after her!

Let me tell you a little more about Frances, or Mamama as I called her.  She was married to John Thomas Smith, Sr for 50+ years and she had four children.  She loved the Lord and was studying His word up until the day she died.  She was a wonderful cook and I remember her spending a lot of time in the kitchen!  She loved to talk and had a lot of friends.  She always told me how she bragged about her grandchildren and how wonderful we were.  Her personality was true to her redheaded nature as she was very fiesty.  She was also very generous and loved serving people around her.  I hope you can see some of the reasons I would want to name my daughter after her!

Me with my grandmother

Mary is not a family name; however, Paul would not let me name her just Frances since he likes to call me Frances sometimes.  So Mary Frances was a good compromise.  I also have a dear friend named Mary Frances who is one of the best people my Mary Frances could share her name with!  The more I learn about the name Mary, the more I love it.  The meaning of Mary is "beloved."  In the book, "Bible Names for Your Baby," the author writes about Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Despite all of her trials, "she remained faithful to God and was always willing to do God's will.  She stands for all time as an example of a woman who was greatly blessed by God and who was prepared to serve God whatever the personal cost."  I pray that my Mary will always be willing to do God's will and serve Him at all costs!

So, that is how we got Mary Frances!  One gift I love to get for my friends children is a name board made by a sweet lady, Davis Mitchell, who lives in Atlanta.  She paints boards to hang in the children's rooms and writes on the board their name, the meaning of their name, and a verse that goes with their name.  Here is her blog www.boarddavis.blogspot.com and a picture of Mary Frances' name board that hangs in her room.

Happy Labor Day Weekend!
Love,
Katy