A Name

When we first found out we were pregnant one of the first things we started doing was thinking of a name. It is an extremely important thing after all. A child will have it all of his/her life - unless he/she dislikes it so much they decide to legally change it, I guess.

We had a tentative name picked out if we were to have a girl - Madelyn. And call her Maddie. It's cute! I loved it! We had a tentative name picked out if we were to have a boy also - Beckett. And call him Beck. It's also cute! Once we found out for sure we were having a boy I wasn't 100% sold on the name. I liked it, sure, but I wasn't feeling it for some reason. So, we looked through our name book and didn't come up with anything else. So, Beckett it was going to be. Until...

We were at Casey's mom's house one evening having a bonfire in her back yard and just started talking about names. Out of nowhere I asked her if she would feel okay if we were to name our little guy Clay. Casey and I had talked about it and I loved the idea, but I didn't want to be insensitive to his mom and her feelings. See, Casey had a brother named Clay that passed away when Casey was small and I wasn't sure how that would make her feel. We both, Casey and I, were 100% on the name and all we needed was her approval. It was to be a tribute, a remembrance, an honor for him to carry that name throughout his life. From what we hear (big) Clay was an amazing guy - hilarious, obviously courageous, wise, and loving. Those are just very few words that we have heard that have described him. So, Clay it was. Clay it is.

Then came the middle name. It was never even a question - Perry. Perry is my grandparents last name. My grandparents have been very influential in my life, be it that they know it or not. They are a great example of what true love is. They have been married, like it or not, for 63 years. They bicker, they argue, they don't see eye to eye, but they stay married. They love each other. They have seen great successes and great losses in their life and they have managed to keep it together. They struggled as a young couple and prevailed. They raised 4 great children and loved them unconditionally. They took me under their wing when I was lost, they have cared for me in ways I would never be able to thank them. So, Perry it was. Perry it is.

So, what's in a name? A lot of thought went behind Clay Perry's name - I hope he too will appreciate where it originated from. And what a great honor it is to wear it every day!