Your Name

Violet Mariam Amaro, your names are special.

Mariam is part of your birth name. It represents your birthplace and your roots in Africa. The name given to you in Ethiopia was: "Mariamawit". When we first saw pictures of you (when you were only four months old!), we fell in love with your beautiful face, your big eyes, your crazy patch of curly hair, and your personality - yes, even from pictures it was obvious that you were energetic, fun and curious about the world around you. Over the next few months, we called you Mariam. On one of your doctor's notes from Ethiopia, your name was spelled "Maryamwit" and on your birth certificate it is spelled "Maramawit". Your name means both "Star of the Sea" and "Gift of Mary".

Violet is a name your father and I gave you as our gift to you. In the Bible, God sometimes gives people new names to represent a promise He made to them, or a fresh start in their life. We wanted to give you a beautiful, new name to represents our love, the promise of a new life, and your unshakable place in our family. As we memorized every feature in those first few photos, we saw you in two ways: From some angles, you were a sweet, precious baby - innocent and pure. From other angles, we could already see a foreshadow of the "grown up" you - strikingly beautiful, sophisticated, confident and strong. We worked very hard to select a name that would suit all sides of you - sweet, but strong. Like the African Violet plant. Like you, it's delicate, but fiercely strong when it's taken care of properly. Like you, it is velvety... looks best in rich purple... soft to the touch... colorful... cheerful. And, like you, it handles transition with grace. (It is technically called "Saintpaulia" - aren't you glad we didn't name you that?!)

Amaro is our family's last name. It originally comes from Italy, but spent a very long time in Mexico before it was brought to the United States by your great grandfather. My last name used to be Lawler, which is a name that comes from Ireland, like a lot of my family. When I married your dad, I chose to wear his name instead of mine - we became one family. Someday you might choose to wear your husband's name instead of "Amaro" - that is your choice to make. (But in the meantime, having a name that starts with "A" means you'll always get to be at the front of the line in school!) The Amaros and the Lawlers are strong families with beautiful histories full of love, really funny stories and most importantly, a passion for loving and serving Jesus.

Your names represent your past and your future, the many people who have loved you, and your identity as a child of God. Wear them proudly - they tell your story.

And when life gets confusing, they will remind you of who you are.