what's in a name?

It was a year ago, when I received an e-mail from a stranger. He introduced himself and provided information about him. He further asked me if we could be friends. The name sounded familiar but i really could not recall if I know him. And so out of curiosity I answered his e-mail and asked him if we had met before. After about an hour, he replied and told me that we had not met before and that we really did not know each other. I further inquired how he came to know me. He told me that he is a member of the names database and one time when he received an update, he saw my name - Theay. He was curious and found it a bit unique. That started a beautiful friendship between us.

What's in a name? There are many people who believe that a person's name is like a legacy but for me a name is a unique aspect of one's identity. A name represent the kind of person that we are. The names that we use represent our personalities and attitudes in life.

Early in life, I asked my parents why they named me Thelma, My mother told me that she had seen a movie and quite liked the name of one of the characters in the movie. She thought that it sounded good. She, then, decided that her firstborn daughter would be named Thelma. And here I am quite proud of my name because I know I embodied its meaning.

The name Thelma means many things. In the English language, Thelma means will. Will is a word that shows strength of character , determination, and courage. My friends agree that it really speaks of my personality for they know that once I put my mind into something, I will really make it happen. Moreover, in the Greek language, Thelma means nursing. I would like to relate this to my profession. Call it destiny, When I was in Grade I, my teacher told me that I would become a teacher someday; but I told her that she was wrong because I would be a lawyer someday. She was right; here I am a teacher who shares things that I know to other people. Nursing means taking care of someone and I believe that teaching is taking care of the students by guiding them, and inspiring them to discover who they are and to discover their worth.

I believe that people should be proud of their names and what their names stand for. I think I am one lucky person who has been a given the gift of a name that truly represents me. Even my nickname-Theay-means a lot to me. I may not exactly look like one in appearance but Theay, a dimunitive of the name Thea in Greek, is translated as a goddess. So you see, I have all the reasons to be proud of my name and what it stands for.