Well, it’s official. Our little bitty punkin has a name. And, this is no ordinary name, mind you. This name is extra special, selected off of page one in the Official Ludy Dictionary of Baby Names. Avonlea (pronounced av-un-lee) is a long time favorite name in the Eric and Leslie vernacular.
For those that are curious, here’s the story:
When Leslie and I first met eighteen years ago, I wrote a song in order to help articulate the power and preciousness of our unfolding love story. There were no words to this song, it was just a piano piece. And, in a sense, there were really two songs that sort of functioned as the background score for our season of falling in love – 1) this song of which I’m referring, and 2) the instrumental song known as, “Sunrise” (which many of you are familiar). I entitled the song, “Avonlea,” because it captured the ideals of childlike faith, heavenly beauty, and noble purity in its melody line.
Leslie and I didn’t really watch any movies together in the entire three-year span of knowing each other prior to our marriage. But, one evening, after a romantic walk together, we arrived back at my parent’s house. My family was watching a movie and there was about an hour remaining in the film. So Leslie and I sat down to enjoy it with them. The movie was “Anne of Avonlea.” If you’ve seen it, then you know how romantic it is, how beautiful Prince Edward Island is, and how marvelous and tender is the kiss between Gilbert and Anne as the credits begin to roll. So, there again was a little touch of grace upon the word “Avonlea” between us. It was already a special song, now it was a special movie, and near two decades later, little did we know, it would become the name of a special little girl.
If you have followed the way we’ve named our other three children then you know we have a knack for picking names with vague definitions, so that we can create our own. The name Hudson simply meant “son of Hugh.” That’s boring. So we added it to the Official Ludy Dictionary of Baby Names and now it means, “one of great tensile strength.” Harper simply meant “harp player.” Again, quite boring! So, we added a little Ludy spice to the name and now it means, “the spirit of the Father crying.” Kipling, in following suit went from basically no meaning at all, to meaning, “strength in the face of adversity.” So, now we arrive at this newest little pile of baby love.
Here’s the meaning of Avonlea Rose:
Avonlea – a return to childlike faith, simple beauty, noble purity, and compassion for the least.
Rose - Our little bundle reminds us of a rosebud. And for me, the addition of this name means, “a reflection of her mother,” because during our love story I always referred to Leslie as a white rosebud in my letters and poetry.
For Leslie and I, we feel like God has been freshly walking us through the same spiritual themes that He awakened us to during our love story (faith, beauty, purity, honor, and rescuing the weak). And in many ways, we feel that this little girl is a symbol in our life of this very present work God is doing. We believe that her life will carry on these themes in even greater force and color than ours have. So, in other words, this little girl is, in every sense of the word . . . “Avonlea.”
Six months prior to our wedding day, Leslie and I took a trip with my family up to Prince Edward Island, strolled Lover’s Lane, walked the beach hand-and-hand as the sun set over the ocean, and experienced the beauty and romance of “Avonlea” first hand. It wasn’t just a song or a movie – it was real life. And, I guess, in a sense, we feel this is a return to the beauty and romance of those days long ago, as we (in present day Windsor, Colorado) nuzzle up and give butterfly kisses to our real-life baby cakes named Avonlea, and stroll Lover’s Lane with her in our hearts.
So, without further ado, we are happy to introduce you to the newest little Ludy, Avonlea Rose – a set-apart woman of God and a mighty bravehearted gospelteer in the making.
Let the confetti fly!
Avonlea Rose
6/25/09
