My son’s name turned up loud and proud in the Name Heart today, on the Alliance of Hope forum. Seeing it so big reminds me of how I’ve always loved seeing his name. It greeted me with the same warmth I felt whenever he walked into a room. I was always proud. Simply seeing him, brought me that ‘my cup runneth over’ feeling.
Seeing his name big today had me reminiscing about how he came to be named Mario. I chose the name when I was pregnant. Some thought I was joking. Growing up, I was a bit of a tomboy, and my brothers often teased and called me Mario instead of Maria. This led some to believe he was named after me, but that wasn’t the case either. It was just a name I loved.
When we were getting his nursery ready, his Dad came home with a plaque for the door that read, “Mario’s Room.” My brother stopped by to visit one night, and when he noticed the door, he just paused. He always had a dry, witty sense of humor and relaxed nature. When he saw the sign, he nodded his head and, through the corner of his smile, said: “So, I guess that means you’re really gonna do it?” The sign has always stayed on the door of that room, and the memory is one that I treasure of my brother.
Of course, nothing was 100%, and I reserved the right to wait until he was born to be sure that he fit the bill and looked like a Mario – and boy, did he ever. He was born with a big, perfectly round Charlie Brown head, the most beautiful big brown eyes, and a nose five sizes too big for his face. When my doctor came by the following day to make her rounds, she peeked in the bassinet and said, “Don’t worry – he’ll grow into that nose!” And he did, quite handsomely.
It also took a handful of years for his short legs to catch up with his torso, and for the longest time, the cuffs on his little Levi’s were rolled so high they looked like water buckets.
It didn’t take him any time to find his voice, though. Another Mario characteristic. He always made his presence known, loud and proud . . . and he still does.
What’s in a name when you see it in the Name Heart?
More than you can ever imagine.
Thank you to Moderator Terry S, for bringing these to us every day.
