This is just a tribute

In this age of technology and increasing security, when online privacy is an oxymoron, I feel lucky because I get to name my children twice--once for the government, and once for the internet.

So while many of you will never know my new daughter's government name, I thought I'd take a moment to talk about it anyway.

I have a deep-seeded belief that names are important. It's ironic that people quote Shakespeare to dispute this belief because if there's one thing to be learned from Romeo and Juliet, it's that names are extremely important. Romeo would not have been nearly as wonderful had he not been forbidden fruit. And Juliet would not have died if he hadn't been a Montague. So names are important. I spent countless hours before I was pregnant thinking about what to name my baby. And in the end, I wanted her to be a tribute.

So she's named for two of my best friends, and two of the best women I've ever known. (Both readers of this blog, also.) They are both strong and independent, yet they are some of the most loving, caring, and trusting people I've ever met. I think that's a rare and wonderful combination. These two women are also extremely generous, something I fall short of so often. One of them has overcome more difficulties in her early life than I will probably ever have to face in my entire life, yet she still has a sense of humor and unabashedly positive attitude. The other is universally loved and respected because she rarely says anything negative about someone else. She leaves everyone around her feeling better.

I know neither one of these women would be comfortable being portrayed as perfect, and I know they aren't, but I hope that my daughter can be like them. And I hope that by giving her their names I can remember to be more like them, so she will be too.

Thank you to all the wonderful women in my life. And welcome, Baby Joy--that's what you are to me.