Did I choose her name or did her soul find a way to deliver it to me?
Last April I rescued a 4 month-old, fawn colored, Chi mix puppy. I’d been back and forth about wanting another dog—a friend for Theo—then this little girl came across my radar.
Doug knew I was looking. He was open to us having 2 dogs when he retired and he was planning on retiring in 2 months. So you might say, I jumped the gun.
No one else knew we had just adopted another puppy. We decided to introduce her on Easter, which was 2 days away. Almost everyone would be there. 
I brought her in a soft fabric purse with a zipper, gathered everyone round, told them I had something important to share, and that I needed their full attention. When I unzipped the purse this 4.5lb puppy popped her little head out. There was lots of gasping.
I liked the names Tulip and Violet but she didn’t seem to fit either. Everyone enjoyed helping with names and they came up with some good ones: Goldie, Pebbles, Biscuit. But none of them felt right for this pup.
When we got home Doug pulled out his phone and started searching. He described Theo as an old world name and needing something comparable. He was thinking, maybe there’s a movie with a Theo and somebody like Thelma and Louise.
After a bit of a search he said, “What about Rosie, like Theodore Roosevelt—Theo and Rosie?” Hmm… if I’m naming my pet after someone they’d have to represent something I want to remember on a daily basis. Theo’s 
name means, “Gift from God.” He came into my life when I really needed a dog and he was perfect for me so his name fit perfectly. Then I thought about the “Daring Greatly” quote Bréne Brown uses. I really like that quote and was pretty sure Theodore Roosevelt was the author. Now it was my turn to do some searching and sure enough, the quote was from a speech by Theodore Roosevelt. I was liking the name, Rosie, more and more. Then my youngest daughter texted to see if we had settled on a name yet. She had been thinking about Rosie, as in Rose Quartz, since I like crystals. How interesting.
Then a light bulb went off in my head. Her name at the rescue had been Star. There is such a thing as Star Rose Quartz, which is about spreading divine love. So Star Rose became her official name, Rosie for short. Theo and Rosie.
I have heard it said that the soul will find a way to get its name to you. We think we name our kids and pets but maybe not. Maybe it’s their soul’s idea all along. I have also heard it said that hearing our name nourishes all our chakra centers.
There is definitely a reverence to names.
- Maybe my little story will add dimension to your thoughts on naming a baby or pet.
- Or send you into searching your smartphone for the meaning of a name you have already given someone or some sentient being.
- Or cause you to be curious about the meaning behind your own name.
Rosie’s name definitely suites her—she spreads love wherever we go with her warm, outgoing personality and she absolutely dares greatly.
Doug passed unexpectedly, 3 weeks after getting Rosie. I'm so glad the name he brought to light was the one that felt right. I think saying it nourishes my chakra centers too.
Friends in this Love,
Trish
Every parent searches the name that fits their child, and some Chinese parents even pay a lot of money to a name expert. I am not sure whether names find their ways to us or we choose a name through our own will.
Anyway, I have my own story about my name or names. When I began to go to school, my first brother got an official name for me. ( Before school age, kids in my town only had nicknames. ) That name didn’t stick, and I do not know who named me after that. Anyway, my name has two Chinese words: the first means a laurel tree; the second word means sunlight. I didn’t like my name because the second word needs 17 strokes to make the character, so I changed it to its homonym which only needs 8 strokes. I used the name for many years, until one day at college a classmate saw how I wrote my name; she said, “The second word in your name is for a guy; it means a knight.”
I am not a guy, so I changed the spelling of my name back, with 17 strokes.
Sometimes I think of the meanings of my names, especially on occasions where others ask me about it. I think I do have the spirit of a knight, even though just a little. I tend to have compassion for those who need a hand. As far as sunlight goes, I may sometimes have brought light to others but other times I must have brought dark clouds over their heads.
Rosie is full of love and joy indeed. Every time we walk by the house, she hears our footsteps and starts to scratch the door like crazy! When she is let out, she runs happily back and forth between me and my husband Sean. She wants the attention of both of us. Theo is also joyful to see us, but Rosie seems to be more excited.
It must mean something that Doug found a name that fits Rosie shortly before he passed. I am sure Trish can tell us there are more things that seem to be coincidences about Doug; believers of divine beings know they are not coincidences, i am a believer, Doug, you live on, in loving memories.