November 1974, Happy Birthday Erin

Long before the days of ultrasounds, trying to discover the gender of a baby was left up to the speed of the baby's heartbeat. The doctor had both of our girls figured as boys. Surprise in both cases. These were the days when Daddy had to wait outside in the "waiting room", with everyone else. So Richard James, named after both of our fathers, had really been Erin Elizabeth all along!

I had been 3 weeks overdue, and had tried all sorts of things to get her here. In a nutshell, I was miserable and so big I could hardly walk. Christmas was coming, and I hadn't done any shopping. I had dreams of an eternal pregnancy!

Erin and I in December 1974, visiting Grandma and Grandpa.

(My one and only time to have frosted hair)

Erin and Keith in October 1997,

one of their engagement photos.

She is one of the few people I have met

that looks good either as a blond or a brunette.

2009 on our recent trip to St. Louis.

Erin, myself, and Alyson, last Christmas.

Just a little trip down memory lane

 to wish my beautiful and loving daughter a

Happy, Happy Birthday, "Beanie"!

Love Mom

"What's In A Name?"

Today I am participating in a "loveleigh" party hosted by Sares. Many of you who know Sares and read her wonderful blog "Loveleigh Treasures" may be like me, wondering where and how she goes by this interesting "Name". I have only heard the name Sares once before, so I am very interested to see her post. To accompany the "unveiling" of her name she has invited us to share something about "names". This could be about our own name, or our children's names, or even why we chose our "blog name". She said, anything to do with names. I have given this a lot of thought, so this will be an intimate post that is about who I am as a person, hopes and dreams, and what God has called me to do. My name holds great significance to me, and I'd like to share it with you.

I am linking to my Bible Study blog also today. If you have not stopped by  "a day in the life..."  I hope that after you read this post that you will. You will also find a permanent link on my side bar.

I think a name can say a lot about a person. I know as a child, there were so many "Debbies" in my elementary school classes that the teachers did not know how to address us, individually. They used nicknames, last names, initials, and all sorts of things, even separating us so we would at least know who they were speaking to. Because of that I always hated my name, and the fact that so many others had it. I longed for a name that was "special", different, and meaningful.

I felt that way until as an adult I read an article by a favorite pastor and author Francis Frangipane. He spoke about how names in the Bible were most often an indicator of who that person would be; that they were a personal "prophecy" for that individual's life. Names in the Bible have "meaning", so I let God lead me as I investigated what my names meant from a Biblical perspective.

My birth certificate reads "Debra Ann", but my mother had told my father Deborah, spelled in the Biblical way. For some reason, it didn't turn out that way. I became "Debra".

God took me to the book of Judges, Chapter 4, in the Old Testament. Here I read about Deborah, a woman who had been a leader of the Jewish people, long before the time of Christ. She took charge of the nation and called them to battle, something the men at that time were not wanting to do. She enlisted "Barak" to fight alongside her and they conquered the enemy.

He then directed me to Luke 2:36-38 in the New Testament. Here I read about a woman named "Anna". She had been widowed as a young woman, and lived in a room at the temple. She had dedicated her life to serving God in prayer. When Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple she stood on the steps and recognized that He was her Savior, tiny baby that He was, she knew in her heart that He would be Messiah.

Reading these accounts of the two women in the Bible changed my mind and changed my life. God showed me through these two women and their names that He was calling me to be involved in His work, and to lead a life following after Him. I realized I need to be proud of my name, and pursue living up to my namesakes. I'm encouraging you to study the origins of your own name, and to see how you can identify with it's meaning.

And lastly I want to say that I chose the name Common Ground for my blog because although we may all be different; having distinct likes and dislikes, tastes, and opinions; if we look inside our hearts, as women, we can all find something that we have "in common". Our hearts reflect our love and need for connection with one another.

Blessings to all of you,

and thank you, Sares, for your "loveleigh" party,

Please click on the above link
to read about other names

Debra