How we chose our new daughter's name

I saw the meaning of the name before I saw the name. I'd never considered it. But it kept creeping up. No names were sticking and I kept saying it out loud and asking Isaac what he thought (he loved it). I asked mom (she loved it). They LOVED it. I LOVED it. It felt...right.

I just knew on Easter and announced it to the family.

After months of loving the meaning I thought it meant something like "grace" but I was wrong. There are different meanings to this name, but what I wrote down was "freedom" and "peaceful". I saw this AFTER we'd decided on her name.

The meaning "freedom" really stuck out. Mere months ago, after two years of searching, the chains fell off and I found freedom. From everything. From my past, from assumptions, from issues I STILL have, from me. Freedom has been such a part of my journey and I accidentally named my daughter something that means "freedom"? On Easter? Really, God??? Sometimes He blows me away...

Suddenly all worries of "will this name get crazy popular because it could get trendy?" became ridiculous. Who cares? This is her name. My daughter.

We will welcome Willow Gracen in late summer. 

(picture from a bracelet that Zoe is making)

What also got me was the description of a Willow Tree.

"Willow trees are known for their grace, flexibility and resilience". 

Resilience. "an ability to recover from or adjust easily to or change" Yes. I want that for all of my children.

I imagine... the branches swaying beneath whatever the wind throws at them but never breaking. Resilience.

I imagine... the lyrics "loves like a hurricane I am the tree. Bending beneath the weight of your wind and mercy" 

Resilience.

I imagine... gracefulness. A dancer, maybe? A painter?  I can't wait to see.

As for Gracen, it's my mom's favorite name and it seemed to fit the meaning so well.

Freedom. Peace. Resilience. Grace.

The meanings of our kids' names are very important to us (not that it has to be for everyone).  Zoe is "life",  Asher means "happy and blessed."  Now Willow with "peaceful and freedom." If we had to sum up the legacy of our childrens' names in a sentence, it would be:

A happy and blessed LIFE full of peaceful freedom.