What's in a Name?

Ever since I was little, I knew all about my name and my heritage--I knew what my name meant, where it came from, where I came from, why it was important, etc. These kinds of things were very important to me. By the time I learned to read and write, I could draw out my family tree past my great-great grandparents--knowing who you are and where you come from has always been extremely important in my life. On a wall in our family home hangs several name plaques, each individually designed with a family member's name and the scriptural meaning of said name--this is one of my favorite features of our home--it just really makes you feel special to look at it, makes you feel important--equally individual and unique, yet belonging to something much bigger.

So... when my little niece was born, I wanted her to have an understanding of who she is, beginning with her beautiful name: Heather. The name Heather is of Middle-English origin, coming from the evergreen flowering plant that thrives on peaty barren lands, like in Scotland. Why is this significant? Well, for many reasons:

1. Heather is the name of my mother's first baby.
2. Our family is Scottish (ancestry).
3. Heather is purple (my sister's favorite color), and is a BEAUTIFUL flower.
4. Heather thrives on barren lands--my metaphorical interpretation: Heather will be awesome no matter what the circumstances of life throw at her.

So anyway... as her blessing was drawing near and she would officially be receiving this beautiful name, I wanted to do something special for her to incorporate some of these things. I haven't painted since my surgery, so taking on such a project was a bit intimidating--and took several tries and oodles of frustration--but eventually things worked out: