My Namesake

A name is a part of a person's identity. A person's name holds meaning. I was named after my grandmother, Mary Alice Earl Moore. My middle name, Leigh, comes from my dad's middle name, Lee, and is now my oldest neice Hannah's middle name. I love that the kids in my family have names that mean something. Alice Anne has names that come from her mom (Emily Alice), grandmother (Julie Alice), aunt Sarah (Sarah Anne) and both great grandmothers (Mary Alice and Anne). Carter Thomas is named obviously from his mom's maiden name and for both of his great grandfathers (Thomas Aldine and Thomas Edwin).

Family members leave a legacy through their names. They also leave us with precious memories. I have been lucky enough to own some small keepsakes of my Grandmother Moore which, although they are not expensive items, are worth so much to me. I have several of her old pieces of jewelry which I have worn often recently. I always receive compliments on these unique items and I am always proud to tell people that they were my grandmother's.

The only piece of jewelry that I am always wearing is a simple gold chain which was Grandmother Moore's - I never take it off. It's a constant reminder to me of all of my family who love me. A few other peices that I often wear are her red corn necklace, a unique green and gold ring, a silver and striped-stone bracelet which I always receive compliments on, and my favorite - a gorgeous glass stone pin that she brought me from Sweden.

Eternal Glory

One of my favorite sermons I've ever heard was the All Saint's Day sermon preached by Eric Howell last November at Dayspring. At the end of the sermon he talks about the multitude of people who make up the church in Heaven... young and old, men and women, every beautiful color of skin ever seen. As he describes the saints and people who make up this heavenly body, there is a part which always makes me think of my grandparents:

"There's an old lady. She fought with cancer in her last years. But look at the victory that's on her face. And there's an old man and he's shuffling in and it looks like he's coming up to a lady and he knows her. She takes his hand. They look like they've known each other for a long, long time."