What's in a Name?

When I first began this adventure with my Angie, there was talk of changing her name. It's a common thing to do when one adopts a baby, and turns out it's not an uncommon practice in older children either. My friend who works in a home in Cochabamba that has many adoptions, says the parents almost always give their little ones different names and the kids love their new identity and fresh start.

At first I thought it seemed a little crazy to change an 8 year-old's name. I didn't even change the name of my 6 month-old adopted dog 'cause I didn't want to confuse her. But then I found out "Angelica" was also the name of Angie's biological mother, of whom to this day I've unfortunately never heard a good story. So, I asked Angelica if she liked her name, and I learned she did not. We thought about a few similar options like Angelina (which now that I know what a ballerina I have, would have been very appropriate), but the problem wasn't so much Ange, but me. After a year of calling her by one name I couldn't think of her as something completely different. Fortunately, she loves "Angie", which she still seems to think is the English way to say Angelica, instead of just the nickname that it really is. So we've stayed with that and added a middle name, a concept not so common here, but seemingly very fun for the little Angel.

Angelica Kira Spears

Kira was the name of my first Spanish teacher, and now dear dear friend. It's a name that works well in Spanish, which is a great benefit when Spears is so difficult that you often have to say "Like Britney" to help people understand. And it's the name of Angie's one and only sweet beautiful aunt, Kiki.

The name Kira was a bit of a sensitive subject in our house growing up. My sister, Kira, never seemed to fully appreciate its weirdness, and definitely not its significance. In high school when I soaked up every word of Ayn Rand with a passion that bordered on unhealthy, I coveted the name Kira, as I read the book it came from, "We The Living."

When I told my sister the story of Ange's past, and how she arrived at the orphanage, she was the first to notice how remarkable it was. How incredible for an 8 year-old to recognize the darkness in her own home, the oppression in her family, and most impressive to me; the idea that her life didn't have to be like that. She left everything she knew for something completely unknown with the hope that it would be better. At 8 years old, she pursued her own freedom.

My sister surely wasn't thinking of this at the time, but that is exactly what her name stands for. Kira, the character in "We the Living" lived in communist Russia where she fought for freedom until the very end, trying to escape the oppressive darkness and start fresh in another country.

Angie loves her middle name so much that sometimes she just labels herself "Kira" when she draws pictures of the family. I pray she also recognizes the freedom we have in Christ, and the blessings He's showering on her everyday.