Feeling--blank
Reading-- Ghost Hunter by Jayne Castle
Listening to-- My 80s Mix

One good thing about creating a new journal or blog is you can rehash or re-invent a topic you've covered in the old one--like I'm gonna do now. Which reminds me, I need to back up Diaryland's entries. I don't want to lose them. My plan is to put them in word document format then print them out to put in a binder. And that will be my Diaryland journal. I just need to save some money for ink cartridges!

********Ever wonder about your name? I mean, where it originated first, what it means, and if it has any history or trivia associated with it. 'Course, maybe you aren't interested in it or just never thought about it before. But...have you? And if you have, where does it come from, what does it mean, what history and interesting facts are associated with it? How does it fit you...or doesn't it fit who you are at all? What do you bring to the name your parents gave you or the name you prefer to go by? Do you bring honor and a good impression and feeling to it, or do you bring something else...something wilder, something less pleasing?

Names are important; in fact, we give eeevvveerryyything a name...or label. Galaxies, planets, moons, stars, rivers, mountains, cities...sometimes even our favorite things, like our cars, stuffed toy animals, houses... We give names because they mean something and have significance to us. Names have power, for good or for ill, bringing to mind whatever impressions (through our individual experiences) we associate with them. For example, the name Edward. A good enough, every day name, right? You see the name of several kings of England when you look at this moniker. Or perhaps someone you know personally. You see the name of a relatively modern king who abdicated the throne to be with the woman he loved. Because of him some will view this name in a romantic and noble or foolish light.

But on the flipside, another man earlier in British history, gave this same name a dark, evil and terrifying connotation. Better known as the fearsome, cruel Blackbeard, Edward Teach was a pirate to be avoided. He was hated and greatly feared; and I bet those of his era avoided the name Edward for many a generation. Even earlier in Medieval times, people believed that if one knew your Christian name, they had power over you.

As for me and my name? I've talked about it at some length in my old journal before, and I've even done "googlisms" on it. I was going to let this topic lie and not even bring it up even after Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie named their baby daughter Shiloh. Bbbuuutt, this is a new journal, hopefully one I'll be able to keep for awhile, so why not? And since Mama and Nan have made sure the actors' naming of their new daughter has been brought to my attention--how I could not avoid it?--again, why not?

Shi·loh

n 1) the biblical royal city where Joshua brought the Ark of the Covenant.

2) "peaceful one" or "His gift" in Hebrew.

3) "peace" in Native American.

4) a bloody 1862 Civil War battle in Hardin County, TN.

5) a 1971 Neil Diamond hit ("When no one else would come,/Shilo, you always came...")

This answers the first few questions I asked earlier about origins and definitions and gives a glimpse into the long history this name has. For all that people seem to like naming their pets Shiloh or some variation of it--I guess this name is really popular if they name animals Shiloh--it is a good, upstanding name. A worthy name to have, or to give to your children. It is a good name to live up to. But with the Battle of Shiloh, it has a tragic irony attached to it. This particular battle was the bloodiest of all those fought during America's Civil War, and more Americans died in this battle (or war?) than in any other war we've been in. Naturally, because of the fact Americans were killing fellow Americans. A bitter, tragic irony.

When I first saw that Angelina and Brad had named their baby Shiloh and I saw that picture that is on the front of magazines in stores everywhere, my first thought was What will she be like when she's older? What will she do with the name? Will she live up to it? Will she do it justice in her actions and words, so that when people think or hear of the name Shiloh they'll nod and smile, knowing good things come with it?

These are questions I realize I should be asking myself. What have I done with this name? What have I brought to it? What do the people who know me or who've been around me think of the name because of my words and deeds?

Well...those of you who are reading this now...what impressions do you have from knowing me?

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*bark of laughter* Hmm...I don't think so...

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Yesterday
02-09-2012 Thursday 13: Netflix
02-10-2012 Rainbow Crow
02-11-2012 My Crow Project
02-12-2012 Crow: Keeper of All Sacred Law
02-21-2012 My Book List for 2012

moon phase