Celebrating My Name
I received a NamePlaque from CrossTimber to review.
As a child, I didn't like my name. It stemmed from many things. My mother named me after one of her friends which one of my aunts didn't care for because of things I will never understand, but hearing the disdain my aunt had for the other Latonya it made me feel sad to have been named after her. Not only did the comments that my aunt made bother me, but so did comments that my mother made about my name in general. She didn't dislike the name, but it wasn't her first choice. I didn't have my father's last name at birth and because of this my mom changed the original name that she wanted to give me. So imagine hearing for a great deal of your childhood that your mother wished she would've named you something else.
As I moved pass adolescence and into adulthood, I began to redefine my name for myself. I made sure that all three syllables of my name was pronounced. I no longer gave people a pass to call me Tonya because that wasn't my name. There are a few people who still shortened it because of familiarity. I truly began to embrace my name until I was reminded by a colleague that she passed over my application because she knew my name belonged to a Black person and she just didn't have time for any mess. Mind you the colleague encouraged me to apply, but because I was in a school system she really only knew my last name. I can say at least she was honest about the reason why she bypassed my application. I was hired for the position after she realized that the name belonged to me, but this incident only reminded me of the issues I had with my name all those years ago.
My name and I have experienced a lot of struggle which is why I was so grateful that John sent me the meaning of my name before I sent him my order. My name wasn't one to be found in the baby name books, and I gave up years ago trying to learn its origin. But, John and his team did. Latonya, The One of Inestimable, Priceless Worth: Jewel of Kindness.
My name plaque from CrossTimber
Not only did he find a beautiful meaning for my name, but he also remembered to keep the "t" lowercase. That's an entirely different topic altogether, but I will say that I had an intense chat with the birth certificate lady at the hospital during the birth of my first daughter because she refused to make that "t" lowercase. Eventually, she did.
Each personalized NamePlaque shares the origin of the name, the meaning of the name, and a Scripture. The Scripture that accompanied my name was Malachi 3:17. There are several choices as far as the design of the plaque. I selected the Silverblue Butterfly Wings because the colors reminded me of peace, and during this season I am finding myself resting more in His peace. Just as there are several designs to choose from there is also a selection of frames to choose, and I selected the metal frame with diamond border. The frame is beautiful. I also received a pocket card in the same style as my NamePlaque to carry with me.
Over the years, I have learned to embrace my name no matter what other people's thoughts may be about it. It really isn't my concerned. I love the way my name sounds when my husband speaks it the way he does. I appreciate the kind words that now define my name because they really do reflect who I am. My daughter said to me not too long ago that people enjoyed being around me because of my kindness, and I know in the eyes of the Father I am priceless. Thanks CrossTimber for reminding me of these truths.
