Dear Miriam,
FIVE?! Five...really? I have been a mother for FIVE years today? It has been an amazing and exhausting five years. Your Dad and I are blessed Heavenly Father sent us such an wonderful little girl to be our first, our guinea pig child. You are smart, imaginative, and resilient so I have every confidence you can overcome our parenting blunders.
Miriam Love, our "miss" "luvie" "ni ni" "moo" and even "the Divine Miss M" {from Nonnie}. Have I told you the story of your name? It's a lovely story full of love and anticipation. So here we go...
Daddy, your G'ma C, G'pa B and I went to visit the cemetery one Spring Day and I read the name Clara Rebecca on your great great grandmothers grave. I decided when/if I had a baby girl THAT would be her name. Then came you, and you became Clara. My due date was given as January 29 {Alicia's birthday} but I was cautioned that first time mothers often go days if not weeks over due. Hummm...I thought, that wouldn't be fun, but if I do go over into February, the month of LOVE, I will give you the special middle name of Love...after your G'ma C and great great G'ma. Clara Rebecca, or Clara Love depending on when you arrived...that was settled.
When I was in full bloom of pregnancy, daddy and I went to watch a bouldering competition. Yes, your dad and I use to do cool things like boulder....but I digress. There was a very strong, but feminine climber named Miriam from France climbing that day. Your dad turned to me and said that although he had never thought of it before, he liked that name. I thought "Miriam? like Moses's sister Miriam?".... I wasn't so sure. But the name resonated in my head so I went home and read about biblical Miriam, how she watched over her baby brother in the bulrushes, she sang, she protected, she bravely spoke to the Egyptian royalty and smartly suggested her mother as a nursemaid for the baby. It seemed like the perfect example of an older sister, which we hoped you would get to be someday.
So you were born, 4 days late, and we were enchanted. You, my dear, were a beau-tiful baby. When it came time to declare the name we wanted on the birth certificate Dad said "Miriam?" and I said "Miriam". "Love?" he asked, "definitely Love." I answered. You were given a name and a blessing in between General Conference sessions of that year. Elder Robert D. Hales gave a talk in that conference entitled 'With All the Feeling of a Tender Parent: A Message of Hope for Families'. In that talk, he told the story of Miriam watching over Moses and said this: "....at times when our children are away from us, the Lord provides inspired "Miriams" to watch over them.". At five years old, you have already become a special a teacher, leader and protector to Bub. Just remember to let him lead once and awhile, and someday he will be able to protect and teach you as well!
Maybe if there is a baby sister to come we will name her Clara, or Rebecca because I still love those names, but for you....Miriam just fit. So although, you told me just the other day that Miriam is only a good baby name, and you might need to change your name to "Misty" when you grow up, I hope you grow to love your name like we do.
Luvies
Mom and Dad
