She's a Fire Lily

This post may seem a little redundant, as I've already written about my baby girl earlier this month in honor of her birthday.  However, this is what's on my mind today, so here goes...

When I was about 11 or 12 years old, I started dreaming up my future family.  I compiled a list of my favorite names for both girls and boys (although there were a lot more girls' names than boys' there, haha!!), and created a child in my imagination to give each name to.  My eldest was to be a girl named Lalita (a Sanskrit name meaning "attractive; beautiful; charming; delicate").  I thought this was the loveliest name.  However, just in case she ended up wanting another name to use that was more conventional in the West, I also gave her the name Lily -- another one I thought was just beautiful.

To me the letter L evokes still waters.  Pure wells, placid lakes, deep reservoirs, forest pools.  Softness, soothing calm, gentleness, maturity and depth.  The mental image that the letter L has most particularly always called up for me is that of a small but beautiful pool, sheltered from prying eyes in the stillness of a deep green wood, and filled with the opulent loveliness of lotuses and water-lilies.  Especially white and blue ones: peaceful and serene colors to match the peace and serenity of the whole scene.  Since I'm a lover of peace, it's no wonder that I've always loved the letter L when this is what it represents to me.

Now that I actually have a little girl named Lalita, though, she has proven to be quite different from the eldest daughter I imagined for myself so many years ago.  I pictured a girl whose presence in our home would be as calm and soothing as the sound of the letter L is to my ear.  When I decided on the additional name of Lily for her -- it was water-lilies I was thinking of.  The famous and popular garden lilies that grace the pages of bulb catalogues in a multitude of colors did not even enter my mind.

However, I now find that, instead of a Water Lily, my little girl is a "Fire Lily"!  If her psyche could be seen, it might not look too different from this!!

(photo credit: Thomas Good / NLN)

A flaming-sunset-colored vision of beauty.  BOLD and STRONG!  Filled with energy and absolutely determined to get her way!  And yet also endowed with so much feminine mystique, charm and allure.

She's not what I bargained for -- she's way too much for me to handle sometimes -- but is she ever special and lovely in her own way!  Even when she drives me bonkers, I can't deny what a great blessing this little Fire Lily is to our family.

Thank You, Lord, for all the blessings You send, including the trials.  Please go on refining my spirit in fire if need be so that I may someday become pure enough to be of service to You.  All glory be unto You!!!