It was the day after Millie was born. But she didn’t have a name yet. Everyone had came to see her the night before, calling her “baby” “sweetie” and “honey.” The no name situation was wearing on everyone, but she didn’t look like our top three choices. We were having to work down our list.
On our way to our 24 hr check-up I received a text from an uncle. The first one to meet her, to hold her. He was proud. It read “Does she have a name yet?”
Aaron. Him holding that tiny babe in my Grandpas’ recliner will forever be one of my sweetest memories. I texted him back, “Not yet. Got any suggestions?”
I fully expected a reply containing some pretty ridiculous suggestions. Lug nut, Bertha, or Chainsaw were all viable options for a good joke I guessed. I knew he would come up with something funny. I was in for a laugh I was sure. My phone vibrated and I opened the text.
When I close my eyes I can still see the font. The simple sentence.
“I like Elsie.”
I remember thinking “Well, that’s not funny at all. That’s adorable.”
We obviously didn’t go with his suggestion and he told me he liked Millie when I finally texted him his niece had a name.
I never asked him about that conversation again. How he came up with the name, or why he liked it. It slipped my mind. Today, he might even deny the entire exchange if I brought it up. Actually, I’m fairly sure he wouldn’t remember-he was good at forgetting. But over a year ago, that conversation I had tucked away deep in my heart came back to my mind. In a way that can only be described as Devine intervention.
So when the Lord blessed us with another daughter, another girl to call ours and raise up, we decided to take advice from Aaron for a change.
Elsie. Her name picked by him.
And the way that He has knitted our story together, us, them, and him? It binds some of these wounds I carry from this loss.
We have decided, we like Elsie too.
Elsie – “Pledged to God.”
Thanks for stopping by!
-Jess