Angel Whisperings

Choosing a name for your child is a daunting task. As a little girl I had the names of my babies picked out long before I even thought of getting married and starting a family. I was determined to use these names for my children and I was sure Kevin would agree with me because I was going to be the mother.

Things don't always turn out as you plan. Kevin not only hated the names I have adored since I was a little girl, he wanted to use family names! Kevin is the youngest of 10 children and his father passed away when Kevin was 2, so he was very close to his mother Mildred (Mill). She passed away in 1997, before I got to meet her. It breaks my heart because she was such a great person and I wish I could have met her. He was determined that if we had a girl we name her Millie. Everyone loved the name Millie except me. I was crushed that he didn't like my names. I knew how much his mom meant to him, so I was determined that there would be a compromise. I offered to use Mildred as a middle name. For a while that was the plan, then the plan changed.

We decided to discuss boys names. I had the name I wanted. Kevin hated it. He said it didn't sound like an 80 year old man's name. I argued that I didn't want my baby having an 80 year old man's name and by the time the baby was 80 years old who would care anyway! Kevin wanted to use the name Brett James. Brett James Borer was born in 1977 and suddenly died of Addison's disease in 2005. Brett was Kevin's oldest nephew, only 5 years younger than him, and the favorite. Brett's passing was a surprise and saddened not only family but friends and friends of friends. Brett was a wonderful young man who was taken before his time and he is very much missed by all who were touched by him. I didn't want to use Brett James. I thought we should leave the use of the name to Brett's younger brother, Jonathan, and his wife, Jacque. My compromise was that we could use Brett as a middle name.

The first week of January 2009, Kevin and I were both home desperately ill with the flu. On January 2, Kevin was sleeping and I was half asleep and half awake. I heard an angel whisper in my ear "Emily" and I knew we had our girls name. I will swear to God that it was Kevin's mom that whispered in my ear. Some might call me crazy, but this is what I believe. Emily still needed a middle name. The first pick was Ann (my mom's middle name and my middle name without the "e"). I didn't like that because the initials would be EAW, even though that seems okay now. The next pick was Caroline because she is our egg donor and one of the people who gave us this gift of life. So, if it was a girl, the name was going to be Emily Caroline. I won't give up the boys name because we might still use it, who knows! The best thing was that we had decided on names but we weren't going to tell. :)

The last week in February 2009, my wonderful Aunt Alice (my dad's younger sister) died from multiple battles with cancer. I was heart broken. I hadn't been to visit her for a long time and missed her. She taught me how to make the best egg salad ever. I will never forget her. I love her very much.

All of a sudden, we had a middle name for our Emily. She would be named Emily Alice for Kevin's mother and for my aunt. I never wanted to use family names, but I am glad we did.

Kevin's sister, Ann, called tonight. She said Jonathan and Jacque, who are pregnant and due at the end of August, had picked Emily Alice as the name for their baby if it is a girl. Alice is a family name from Jacque's side.

Kevin later said "I'll bet it was Brett whispering to you just to stick it to Jon one more time!" That would have Brett's good natured way of teasing his little brother.