However...the reason I was stressing about our son's name, is that I didn't want us to make a mistake. He is 10 years old. Anna is 10 as well. If we were to ask her if she would choose a different name...she just might. Sure she likes "Anna", the name we gave her, but wishes we would have called her Charlie, the name we would have given if she were a boy....seriously, she asks every now and then if we can change it!
Our sweet son has lived a life, his own life for 10 years without us. He will have to endure so many changes because of us. I didn't want his name to be one change that he would really not like. It was so easy for Ellie. She was young enough that it didn't seem to phase her that we weren't calling her Xiao Fang. I knew it could be very different for our boy. So I prayed about it ...ALOT.
Over the next couple of months I started getting some amazing insights from people who had met our boy at his foster home. It really has been such a blessing to talk with amazing volunteers and fellow adoptive parents that have met our son. There were many things common they said in common about our beautiful boy....that he is a joy, that he is sweet and funny, and that he has a great outlook on life. They all also said that he wants to be adopted. Something else that several have shared is that he has an English name he uses with the American volunteers and at his international school. I was amazed that he already had an "English name"...a name HE chose to use on different occasions. After speaking to one of them, we realized just how much he really likes his name "JERRY"!
Okay I have to be honest....it wasn't one of our favorites at the beginning. It wasn't a fan fav of our kids either. One of them said, "you know if we name him 'Jerry' that we will mean we will have 'Tom and Jerry' in our family"!!!! HA! Yet the more we discussed it, and prayed about it....the more obvious it was to us. This was HIS decision. I was so worried about making a change he didn't like, but God already had it worked out.
 |
| This will go in the room shared by Thomas (Tom) and Jerry!! |
Jerry it is! And really now, several months later....I can't imagine naming him anything else.
As some of you know, each of our children have been named after saints. We have hoped that by honoring their saint namesakes not only will our children have special intercessors for the rest of their lives...they will have great role models to exemplify.
Clare is named after St. Clare of Assisi, one of our favorites! (the saint....we don't have "favorites" amoung our children..ha!! They are ALL our favorites, right?!?!
Jon (Jonathan Paul) is named after St. Pope John Paul, the great hero of our generation. And I could do an entire blog post on why he is named Jonathan and not John, uh ehm, right, Steve, my love?
Anna Therese is named after St. Therese, the Little flower. As I have written so many times, St. Therese is one of my besties! Hehehe
Thomas Michael is named after St. Thomas Aquinas (the church parish we met at in college) and after my amazing grandfather, Thomas. Of course he always reminds me about St. Michael, "the big angel"!
Ellie (Elizabeth) named after St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton. We knew we liked Ellie for her name, and thought of Elizabeth for her full name, but couldn't decide on which St. Elizabeth. While we were waiting in her adoption process I started learning about St. Elizabeth Ann Seaton. We learned that the very first school she opened was very close to where we lived in Maryland. We were even able to visit her shrine while we were there. Ellie's picture was placed on the alter there asking for prayers and blessings.
Jerry is a great name....but not a saint name.....well not yet anyway. We needed to decide on a saint name. We learned that the name given to him at his baptism was Anthony! Anthony is a great name, and will also be part of his full name. Yet I don't think we could get "Jerry" out of "Anthony". So I went to google....I looked up several possibilities, but none that felt right for our Jerry. That was until I searched "patron saint of orphans"...
This is what I found http://catholicexchange.com/st-jerome-emiliani. Check it out!!!
St. Jerome of Emiliani is the patron saint of orphans! Ahhhhhhh
The story continues....after I read the story of St. Jerome, I realized his feast day is Feb 8! This past year Feb 8 was the day we decided to start telling everyone we found our son, and were starting the adoption process!
And it continues.... Chinese New Year occurs on a different date every year (it's based on the lunar calendar). Guess when Chinese New Year occurs this upcoming year, 2016...... Feb 8!!!!! So cool, right?!?! St Jerome, please pray for our son.
I cannot wait to write Jerome Anthony (insert Chinese name) Gautreaux on his adoption paperwork!
Thank you Dear Father for always showing us how you are working out this adoption journey. Our son's name was written on Your heart long before it was whispered on our lips. Please bless our Jerry (Jerome), fill his spirit with joy and peace. Please guide each step we take closer together, and continue to prepare his heart for the changes he will endure. Pray for us, sweet Mother Mary. Pray for us, beloved St. Therese. Pray for my son, St Jerome.
This was a prayer I found:
St. Jerome Emiliani, our country is in such need of your powerful intercession before the throne of God. So many children are orphans of broken homes, some are missing and others have been used for evil purposes on our city streets. Even worse than this, people are killing children before they are even born.
Inspire parents to adopt orphans. Help us to have your fervor for all children, especially those in most need. Finally, we ask you to transform us into children so that we may one day enter the Kingdom of Heaven and with you praise the Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit forever. Amen.
Posted with Blogsy
