Names

I’ve been thinking about names, lately. Names that were given to me by my parents, names I’ve chosen to go by, names given to me by others, I’ve been thinking about how I refer to myself, in my head, or in the third person. All of these ways of identification, so many different facets, add up to one human being.

I was given 2 sets of names by my parents. The first set, the ones that appear on my birth certificate, is my regular name, the name I identifywith, most often. The other set, my Hebrew name has been used, primarily in a religious setting. Many of my cousins were given biblical names, their regular and their Hebrew names are the same, perhaps with a different syllabic accent. My sister, and the rest of my cousins (on both sides of the family) were named for deceased family members, given either the actual name or given a name that starts with the same first letter as the relative.

Neither situation is the case with either set of my names. In fact, my religiously observant mother wanted to call me “Mary” (or actually a Russian variation, thereon). My father convinced her that I would not be easily accepted into the community with a name like that, and so I was given the name of one of the Spring Months.

It is my Hebrew name that I’ve been thinking about, lately. I don’t know why I never did before.

I am:
Chai Chanah Malkah

Chai, meaning “Life”
Chanah, meaning “Grace”, or “Favor” (also a prophetess who was the mother of Samuel)
Malkah, meaning “Queen”

Does that make me Graceful Queen of Life?
Or Living Queen of Favor?
Living Queen of Grace?

This is a “me” that I haven’t really thought of being, before now. It’s quite a name to live up to. It is a name that one must grow into, which may be why I never thought about its meaning, before. And, it certainly is giving me food for thought.

Should I be brushing up on my prophecy skills?