What's in a name?
by Darlene on 03/24/11
I spent all last night and several hours this morning searching for the perfect name to a new little addition to my farm...
I've known for a while that she would be coming, but didn't think much about a name until I was informed yesterday that I need to supply the name that I'm going to name her.
Before I get her.
My daughter typically will name all the puppies in the litters we have. Some of the names are names I'd never dream of naming anything, but she derives great delight in coming up with names off the top of her head that had meaning to her. An example of some of the puppy names she's bestowed on several puppies are: Eugene, Stubby, PuddleButt, etc.
Now me? I have to think and ponder and go around and around and around until the right name comes along. I have to laugh at myself over the agony I sometimes go through picking a name. I think it's because it's important to me that it accurately represent 'whatever/whoever' and sometimes only time reveals what name would fit perfectly.
I think about the names I named my children. Some took me a while to come up with, some were very quick. When I saw the name, I knew it was the perfect name for the child who was yet unborn.
When I named my farm, it took me a couple of years. I sometimes look at the names others have named their farm...some of them are silly and some of them cause one to think, "now that's really kewl!".
I had some friends who would hound me asking, "what's the name of your farm?". "I don't know", I'd say. "You HAVE to name your farm!"...well daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...I know I needed to name my farm, but until the "right" name came to mind, it would remain nameless.
Finally, my friends got together and sat me down and informed me it was time to name my farm. Not! I thought to myself...it can't be just any name...it has to have meaning, even if it's only to me. They offered various suggestions..."no...no...no...no...no...", until one person made a comment about how everyone knew how much I loved the Lord and His Word, so perhaps I could think of a name that had to do with that.
THAT suggestion caught my attention. As I've written in the "About Us" area, this move from the city wasn't my idea...it was His. Something that alluded to Him or His Word was something I'd be interested in doing. So I thought and thought and thought until I remembered something that is referenced in the Psalms a few times that had always captured my heart. For some reason, the analogy He uses to describe a position He desires for us, stunned me, touched me, moved me.
Psalm 36:7: "How priceless is your unfailing love, O God!
People take refuge in the shadow of your wings."
Psalm 91:1 and 4 : "Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty...He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;"
Psalm 57:1: "I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings
until the disaster has passed."
Psalm 17:8: "Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,"
Psalm 63:7: "for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy"
To me, finding rest, peace, shelter, safety beneath the shadow of His wings is comforting. Although it's normal for me to want to do all I can to insure all that myself for my family, the truth remains that only He can do all things.
So that's how I came up with the name Shadow Wings Farm.
As I search through various names looking for one that has meaning to me, along with liking the way it sounds (lol), suffice it to say that I'm still looking lol. I don't like feeling rushed to pick something that is important, but one thing is for sure...
I'll let you know as soon as I figure it out lol.
I will say that we have a surprise coming to Shadow Wings Farm. It's a surprise I never dreamed I'd receive. But then, I never dreamed I'd be living on a farm with all the animals I now have. She's very special on a variety of levels and I can't wait to hold her in my arms.
