My Name

My name is unique...I doubt that there are many (if any) Wilma Esther's in this world. I have always understood "why" I was named Wilma Esther...Wilma was my mom's middle name (Emily Wilma), and Esther was my paternal grandmother's name (Esther Johnson Skold). (It is also my Aunt Gladys' middle name, and since I was told I got my red hair from her, I might as well share her name as well.) My mom once told me that she suggested naming me Laurie Ann, but that Dad liked the family names of Wilma Esther... for a while I thought Laurie might have been a more "contemporary" name:)
But, overall, I'm glad to have the family name, since my life is so influenced by these people in my heritage. I never knew my paternal grandmother (she died just months before I was born), but we all know what an influence our parents and grandparents (and aunts) have in our lives.
And, recently, I've been reading the book of Esther in the Old Testament; now I'm even more proud of my middle name. She was a strong woman, who made a difference in the history of our Christian faith. A commentary in my Bible says that "The book of Esther reminds us that, although we may not always see it, God is at work in the lives of His people. God can use seemingly ordinary events to accomplish extraordinary things." (The NIV Worship Bible)
AND, a friend gave me a newspaper article several years ago listing the top 10 names to name babies in Sweden that year...and number 7 on the girls' list was Wilma! Maybe my name is contemporary after all! (At least in my ancestor's native country.)