My name birth name was Valerie Jean Thomas. My father named me. Family legend has it that my mother named me Debra, and my father upon learning this, had my birth certificate changed to Valerie. I prefer the name Valerie. It is rare. I know too many Debbies my age and no Valeries.
The name Valerie means STRONG. I did a name meaning search and came up with several variations of definitions. FIERCE ONE! Valiant, feminine, brave. I like that. It is a unisex name used primarily for women in the US; but for men in other countries.
Jean was my father’s middle name. I’m proud to have his middle name as mine. I have decided that I will likely return to the name Thomas in his honor as well.
I wonder, do we take on any characteristics from our name? Throughout life I have had many challenges. Some of them seem extraordinary. Out of control, abnormal. Sometimes I feel like I keep getting knocked down. As soon as I get up and dust myself off and get going again something else comes along and knocks me back down, and I have to get back up again. (ain’t never gonna keep me down) Kind of like the song. Sometimes I wonder, what makes a person strong, resilient? At what point do you hit the obstacle that you just can’t get past, that you just give up? When/how do you know when it is the one you just can’t beat?
I wonder if my dad knew when he named me that I would have to be this strong in this life to get through it?
My Dad died in his 30’s. My name is one of the few legacies he left me. I’m trying to live up to it.
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