The Name Game

For no good reason, I've been giving thought to names recently. I have always had an interest in names; meaning, numberology, historical significance, etc. The book I'm reading has a unique name in it, and I'm reminded of my own daughter's name.

Kariana is a name that I pulled out of the ether. I used it for a D&D character (a kick-ass ranger for those who care). Names have an interesting ability. That character was actually never used in a real game. I often wished to create a new character that I could adventure with to finally give her the adventures she deserved. Even though she's never been used, I already have the entire character fleshed out in my mind.

When we decided to use that name for our daughter, I was a bit hesitant. It was as though I was giving up control of the name. Yet, choosing that name may have been the easiest part of the whole process. We knew that it was meant to be her name. We had more agonizing discussions on what her middle name would be, since her first name was always a given.

Once we knew we were going to run with it, I had to find out what it means. So consulting the interwebs, I stumbled upon that Kari (which is short for Karen, which is short for Katherine) means "pure," and Ana means "grace." So Kariana becomes "pure grace." Now, this amused me endlessly, as anyone who knows me knows that I am not graceful, and I cannot imagine someone with my genetic code not being cursed by that. It was not until she was two that I realized the true meaning of her name.

See, I'd been thinking of grace as in "elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action," and that may have been an error. Now, I'm a spirtual man still finding my way in the world so this was not readily apparent to me. The definition I should have been looking for is under the theological definitions of grace: the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God, the influence or spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them, a virtue or excellence of divine origin.

Now, we often refer to our children as blessings, and I admit to the father bias. But I can't help looking at her and believing that she is destined for something greater. I don't presume to know the way the world works, and I would never presume to tell her what her place is in the world. But I know the spark that I see in her eyes. She has fundamentally altered Kim and my life for the better, and I often wonder if she will have the same affect on the world.