The Ultimate A-List

February already. How does that happen? One day it is all about the New Year and suddenly the groundhog is giving a weather forecast. And it is not just February 1st, but the 3rd and being that this is a short month, that means it will be over even faster than January was. But, you know, I like February. I do. And since there is only 26 days left, counting today and there is 26 letters in the alphabet, I think I am up for a challenge.

Can I come up with something for each letter for each of the remaining February days? I don't know, but I feel like trying. Just a warning though. On the days I work 16 hours, that post might literally be a word. Or a sentence. Maybe a quote, short and sweet.

"A"

When I was pregnant with Adrienne, we had all manner of names picked out .Vivian, Natalie, Charlene. Oh my. She's says, "I am glad you went with Adrienne." I am too. I think it fits her just fine even if its Latin meaning is "rich, wealthy, dark one."

 Then when we were expecting again, we ended up with Aaron. He could have been Dale or Grant, but Aaron it was. His name means "high mountain"; maybe we were trying to infuse some height into the Maust name.

 Fast forward a few years and along comes Amy (meaning "beloved"). We really didn't have any other names picked out. I remember sitting in the town of Accident as we were deciding if we should go visit someone who happened to be Amy Yoder and we just knew it was the name we wanted. This Amy was my great aunt (she was married to my Grandma Bender's brother) and she also just happened to be my husband's aunt also because she had been adopted into his grandparent's family when she was young. When Amy's husband died unexpectedly she was left with raising seven children on her own. She was a woman I wish I would have known better. There was just something stong about her, something of a pioneering spirit. As I am sure that the elder Amy was beloved, so is our Amy.

Then came baby #4. Everybody thought that surely we would have another "A" name. I considered Austin for a boy but then someone pointed out "Austin Maust" kind of rhymes. That one got tossed out. I liked the name Adam, but Leo thought that it would be too much like another family who had an Amy, Erin (even though spelled differently) and Adam. Scratch that. Then the day arrived and Heather was Heather. She does tend to blossom when it seems most barren and if you haven't already, look up her name and you'll see that there really is no other name for her.

No, she was not adopted even though her older siblings sometimes teased her that she was. I mean, she didn't have an "A-name".










We figured that when we were expecting another baby after Heather that since we broke the pattern with her that we may as well just continue and Ryan didn't even have any other option that started with the letter A. My "little king" had a name quite befitting the baby of the family.

We could have been the A-Team or had our names on the A-List but instead we are on God's list, the ultimate A-list.

Isaiah 43:1-3New Living Translation (NLT)

The Savior of Israel
43 But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
    O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
    I have called you by name; you are mine.
2 When you go through deep waters,
    I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
    you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
    you will not be burned up;
    the flames will not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord, your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

I'd say Amen to that!

Love,
Dianne