What's in a name?

From the moment I found out I was pregnant, we thought it was a girl. Call it a hunch or a hope, whatever you like, we just knew the baby was a "she". It is at this point that I should stop and say that the odds were against us, and that the Timmerman family rarely sees an "XX" as the boys definitely outnumber the girls. But girl names came easily and although we never had a long list, we had a few that always seemed to stick around. Whatever the name ended up being, I just remember praying that it would be intentional, significant, meaningful. And as we tossed names back and forth (not very often), I resolved to waiting to see what we were having before we took it any further. Then came June 1, the day we had been waiting for. But instead of finding out the joyous news, we found out what I pray no one reading this will ever have to. News that made a gender, a name, a nursery color or theme, or whether we would stop at the outlet malls on the way home from vacation or not, seem like the most insignificant things on earth. And they were (but that is a story for another post, and trust me, I'll get there).

It seems like most couples these days give their babies-in-utero "names" so that the poor thing will not have to be "IT" until week 20 when the gender can be determined. We've heard of Peanut, Bean, etc, etc. When I found out I was pregnant, the baby was the size of a poppyseed and Shelby and I from that point on called our sweet one "Poppy". And when we found out the fatal news of our Poppy, we knew that no name that we had suggested would ever be right for her. Poppy was the only way we had known her, and that is what she was to us. So regardless of what it meant literally, that name carried a weight and a meaning to us that was indescribeable. But little did we know that God was writing His own story (as He does afterall), with what her name would mean.

Shelby asked his mom to find poppy flowers and bring them to the hospital for me, but poppies are NO WHERE to be found in TX this time of year. So she settled on bringing poppy seeds in a little pot with dirt. And then Shelby and I just about passed out when we turned over the small packet of seeds. When do poppies bloom in our area of TX? Why October of course - our original due date was Oct. 31. And as the days passed, my sister and a friend went on to say what else the poppy flower symbolized and we were amazed yet again. The poppy flower is also the national flower of remembrance and symbolizes resurrected life.

Coincidence? Most certainly not. Just part of her story, our story, and yet another reminder of who the Great Author is. Our nickname did not surprise Him, for He knew from the beginning exactly who she would be.

Poppy Elizabeth. We love you, and are so happy to be a part of your beautiul story.

"You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed." Psalm 139:16