A Rose By Any Other Name!

My dear friend Sandy and her husband Adrian, were expecting their third child. They already had two wonderful sons, but this one would be a girl.  Sandy said that the new baby was a miracle.  She'd suffered ill health years before and the gynecologist that she now visited was very surprised to learn that she'd conceived after the major surgery she'd undergone.  Since Sandy was convinced that this baby was a 'miracle', she was certain that God would give her child a name.  All of her friends regaled her with the very best names for a girl, but Sandy would have none of them. A woman of great faith, she asserted over and over again, "I just know God is going to name this baby!"  Nearing the end of her pregnancy, she mentioned several times that He needed to hurry up, because the baby was due fairly soon.

The day of our departure was fast approaching, as well.  We'd been extremely fortunate to have spent eight months living in Mallorca, but would be leaving in under a week. Every Thursday, it was my habit to visit Sandy and six or seven other friends for a Bible study in their village Vilafranca, which was a twenty-five minute drive from our village, Arta.

The day of the miracle, the last Thursday before we would leave, I was, as usual, on my way to Vilafranca.  I was terribly sad that I was leaving that wonderful island and my good friends, knowing that it might be years before we'd be able to go back.  I prayed as I drove.  I thanked Him for the beautiful place he'd allowed us to live and for my new friends there.  Crying, I scanned the verdant landscape, the unique stone walls, the photogenic fincas.  I would miss the island so much.  I thought back to my high-school, Spanish teacher whose love of Mallorca and all things Mallorquin, was worn on her sleeve. "Ah, Mallorca," she would say, a dreamy look her eye.  It was always Mallorca this and Mallorca that.  Who knew that one day I, too would have the opportunity to love and eventually miss this little paradise?

Such were my thoughts, as I made my way toward the village.  Shaking myself out of my heavyhearted reverie, I turned my attention once more to my friend and her husband.  "I wonder if Adrian and Sandy have found a name for the baby, yet?" Immediately, a Hebrew word (name), the meaning of which I thought I knew, popped into my head.  I was surprised at the word, wondering at its unbidden manifestation.  "Wow, that is a beautiful name for a girl.  I really like that!"  That was quickly followed with, "Where did that name come from?"  I repeated it several times so I wouldn't forget it, intending to search for its meaning on the computer when I arrived at the house.  As I was repeating the name, the Lord put it in my heart that when I shared it with Sandy, she would get very excited and say something about it that would confirm that this was the name the baby would be given.  "So...this is from You, Father!!"

I arrived at the house, excited to see what would unfold.  I told Sandy that I had a Hebrew name that she might like.  "What is it?  Tell me!"  "First, I want to look it up to be sure of the meaning."  She waited impatiently across the desk from me while I searched for the name.  Yes, I was right!  I told her, "It means 'a return to the Promised Land'". "Well, what is it?  What's the name?" "It's Aliyah."  At that, she started to laugh excitedly and tears came into her eyes.  "After God gave me the name in the car, He told me you would get very excited and would tell me something about that name....something that happened, right?" This is what she told me...

The night before, she and Adrian were talking, by chance, about a very distant relative of his in England.  He hadn't seen this man in years but he remembered that he'd had five children, four boys and one girl.  Adrian told his wife that he remembered all of their names.  They were Paul, Dean, Donna, Nigel and Martin, and then, he said, "Then, his wife gave birth to a baby girl fifteen years later and they named her, Aliyah."  Sandy told Adrian that she really, really liked that name, and asked him why he'd never shared it with her.

What an amazing confirmation it was for Sandy and for Adrian, as well, when we called him downstairs and I had related my story once again.  "We were just talking about that name last night," he said, eyes round as saucers.  "She said she really, really liked it!"

So, just as Sandy knew He would, God did provide the name for her sweet baby girl, and I am so, very blessed to have been involved!

*see below

I asked Adrian and Sandy to read the above 'blog' and comment on it....Here are their comments...

Sandy and Adrian...could you please check this to be sure that it's correct.  Sandy, can you try to remember what you were thinking when I was looking up the word I was curious and I must have felt expectant, and how you felt after really excited and special to be receiving my miracle, awed at how God works ....and Adrian...could you try to remember how you felt when we shared the story with you I was happy and surprised and relieved that I didn't have to think of any more names! (we'd been at it for months without conceding on a name)...and could you send the names of the four boys to me?below Any other info would be welcomed...anything at all.....thanks so much! Hugs to you both. LJ had prophesied her birth and whenever he would mention it, I would tell him that I was thinking of adopting a little girl & assumed that would be the way I would have my little girl.  There was even a prophetic aquaintance of LJ that came one day with him to our house and he asked if there was a baby in the house. Nearing the end of her pregnancy, she mentioned several times that He needed to hurry up, because the baby was due fairly soon. We actually didn't know how God would name her, we thought we would probably just both be convicted of a particular name.  I kept wanting to name her Ariya because a monk had given me that name in Thailand  (very close to Aliyah) but the RRR sound in Spanish is so different from English, I didn't like how it would change with the languages.  Maybe each time I would say Ariya, God would smile and try to tell me that I was just one consonant off

(not an actual uncle, the uncle of Adrian's half brother, brother of his mom's ex-husband) of his in England.  He hadn't seen this man in years but he remembered that he had five children, four boys and one girl.  Adrian was telling Sandy that he remembered all of their names.  They were  Paul, Dean, Donna, Nigel and Martin.......and then, he said, "Then, my aunt gave birth to a baby girl years later and they named her, Aliyah (we're uncertain about the spelling)."  Sandy told Adrian that she really, really liked that name .  I asked why he'd never told me about it before!