The Name Game

While surfing the bloggosphere the other day, Haley over at: 

http://haleyspace.blogspot.com (who recently had a really groovy and fun questionaire post up called: 'What Sesame Street Character Are You?' ... I got Grover! 

Anyway... she gave me some inspiration. 

Have you ever researched the origins of your name? Not only what it means and where it is from - but also how you got it? What made your parents decide to pick that one specifically. More often than not, there is a great story behind the choice of someones name. A deciding factor that made your name the one for you.

This is my story:

I wasn't supposed to be born. For one, my mother wasn't supposed to be able to have children due to a skiing accident that damaged her womb when she was in her twenties. But low and behold - out popped my brother in 1987. He was my parents blessing - then, four years later.. I (what I'd like to call another blessing, hehe) came into existence.

When my mum was pregnant with me the nurses didn't want my mum to have me. They told her that I was going to be born with major life disabilities and suggested that she have an abortion. I can't imagine the sort of pressure and strain that must have had on her - but as soon as she felt me hiccup inside of her, that was it. She didn't care what I came out like, I was coming. 

Well.. lets just say that when I did eventually come along - yellow jaundiced and weak to the point of nearly dead - I was put into an incubator and kept away from my mother for over two weeks with no interaction with her at all. We were put onto different floors of the hospital. When my dad found this out when he arrived back from the war he threw such a fit and took my mother in a wheel chair (she had also gotten ill and had to stay in hospital for those two weeks too) drip and all and wheeled her up to my floor. The nurses and doctors kept telling him he wasn't allowed to be doing it but he didn't listen. He knew that the only way both of us, my mother and I, would be able to heal, would be if we were together. 

I was taken from the incubator and placed into my mothers arms for the first time since my birth - two weeks old... and my dad teared up when he told me the story of the first time she looked at me. It is the most beautiful thing in the world for a mother to meet her child - and our meeting had been prevented. After we were united - both of us healed within days. There was a different level of strength within each one of us that helped us get better. 

The nurses never came back to see my mother after seeing that I was OK - that I was going to be a healthy, normal baby. 

The doctors also told my folks that I was going to be six-foot - pah!!! Don't know what happened there.

Anyway.. so now the naming story:

My parents, back in in 70's, were huge Rolling Stones fans and naturally, I followed suit. 

I am therefore named after Mick Jagger's daughter (which personally, I think is pretty cool):

Jade Jagger

When I researched a bit more into what Jade Jagger does - I discovered that she designed jewelery and is a very creative person (as am I). 

Being the biggest Rolling Stones fan I know since my parents - I must say that I am very proud to be named after Mick's daughter.  

The guitarist of the band AFI is also a bearer of the name Jade. His full name is Jade Puget.
So apparently it is a pretty popular musical name! 

To my surprise I found that the name Jade is actually Spanish - whereas I had always assumed that it was Asian.
It is actually derived from the Spanish 'piedra de la ijada', which means "stone of the colic."
There is a belief that the jade stone has magical powers of providing protection against disorders of the intestines.

Fun Facts:

• Confucious, the Chinese philosopher, believed that the stone holds properties that encourage bravery, purity and honesty.
• Jade was the 113th most popular name for girls born in the United States in 2007 - #Winning
• Jade is currently ranking in the top 10 choices of names for girls in France.

After doing further research into my name - I found a few list of character traits that people with the name 'Jade' often have. 

Two that I found to be eerily accurate were:

1) People with this name tend to be idealistic, highly imaginative, intuitive, and spiritual. They seek after spiritual truth and often find it. They tend to be visionary and may inspire others. If they fail to develop their potential, they may become dreamers, or misuse power.

and

2) People with this name have a deep inner desire for a stable, loving family or community, and a need to work with others and to be appreciated.

Characteristics of Jade

• Cooperative
• Considerate
• Compassionate
• Nurturing
• Sensitive
• Patient
• Loving
• Kind
• Gracious
• Balanced

Jade has never really been a common name - I've only met a handful of Jade's in my lifetime but recently I went up to a wedding in Johannesburg and the seating itinerary was hilarious. There were 4 Jade's at the wedding.. about 7 Kyle's and 3 Brian's! 

I think Jade is a really nice combination of a strong name yet also chic and elegant... bohemian if you will..

Lastly, I found this definition:

A broken-down, vicious, or worthless horse.

Fantastic.    

I guess I've always been a bit of a freak - and I guess I always will be... 

I'm the kind of girl that whips her sticky bra off in public if it is annoying her, then plays with it in front of everyone... 
I'm the kind of girl that everyone moves away from on the dance-floor because it looks like I have a spastic hip. 
I'm the kind of girl that has absolutely no rhythm and was born with two left feet... 
I'm the kind of girl that will trip up over the ONE brick that is dislodged in the pathway and snags her dress on that ONE sticking out nail in the wall. 
I'm the sort of girl that cannot survive one day without some sort of an injury and the sort of girl that never fails to laugh at herself for it...
I'm the kind of girl that will look all over the room for a pair of scissors only to realize that it is right in front of her the whole time and the kind of girl who tries every single key on the key-chain until she finds the right one to unlock the door. 
I'm the kind of girl that has a personal To-Do list to last a lifetime - of which I will get through less than half of it.
I'm the kind of girl that photographs her cats on a daily basis - because they are my version of children and I'm the kind of girl that spills a bottle of cider and / or beer over her newly bought pure white yoga pants after one drink (thank goodness it wasn't red wine!) and I'm the kind of girl that thinks playing a game called 'F*!k Your Liver' (I'm sure you can use your imagination for that one) is a great thing to play on a Sunday afternoon.... at least my friends accept me for that!

I am also the kind of girl that puts her friends before her. 
I'm the kind of girl that would come flying out of her house with wet hair and whatever clothing she can grab after a shower cut-short when her friends phone her and tell her they need her (proven point).
I'm the kind of girl that really only needs to cook for one but makes enough for ten and asks her nearest and dearest if they'd like to share. 
I'm the kind of girl that would spoil her partner rotten and go above and beyond to make him the happiest man in the world.
I'm the kind of girl that has had her heart broken, dusted herself off and learned to love again. 
I'm the kind of girl that is strong and has faith and no one could ever break me down... and for that I thank my parents. All of my traits, the good, the bad and the crazy.. are all influences from the two of them combined. 

So here's a thanks (and a toast) to my folks, Stephen and Kerry, for letting me have life... and for giving me a pretty cool name...