Telephoto Tuesday

Another photo of Hannah and Grace.... Can't you just feel the love?

And Then There Was Grace...

Meet our newest addition to the family. Isn't she precious? No, she's not mine, although we would love to bring her home with us. She's Hannah's newest cousin (albeit a bit removed), and she is a precious, joyful baby.

Hannah, who has always loved babies and younger children, practically beamed when she reminded me that her own name means grace, and baby Grace is named Grace. She is certain that this name connection is something special... a special bond that will link their two hearts and souls forever.

So as I was getting ready to load the photograph, I decided to explore the origins of a few names.... and this is what I found out.

As I knew, the name "Hannah" is a Hebrew name that does, indeed, mean grace. In the Old Testament, Hannah is the mother of Samuel, her long-yearned for son, who becomes a prophet. The name has been quite popular through the years. When I chose the name, it was the 7th-most popular girl's name in the United States. And although I chose the name without any baby-naming guidebooks, I found out that its popularity grew after I chose it... hitting the second top spot in the country within a few short years.

My name has never been an easy one to locate in the touristy trinkets department while on vacation. As a child growing up, I never had a bike tag with my name on it, nor a keychain, nor anything else for that matter. But I have always known how special my name is because it originated from two very special people, my maternal grandparents Robert and Anne.

Those names gave me more to work with. I first looked up "Robert" and found that it originated in France and means "bright fame." Although I know his ancestors are from Ireland, it seems he might have been named for either a saint or one of three kings of Scotland (which seems unlikely). And "Anne" gave me a surprise. Anne is a Hebrew name meaning... grace! Just like my daughter's name. And I didn't even know it.

While "Hannah" has been the more popular of the two (my "Anne" was never ranked higher than 57), they are connected in origin and meaning, which is a delightful discovery to me.

And now there is baby Grace... and the legacy of grace continues.