I am not one to believe in coincidences. Yes, I do think that circumstances arise that are more accidental in nature but... not really. Lately, I have been surrounded by Davids. They arise out of nowhere. It just so happens that I tend to pay a lot of attention to Davids because I am the mother of a David.
The plan was not to name my son, David. I had plans to name him something quirky. I liked the idea of bringing back a name that had fallen out of fashion. However, I also thought that my first-born son should have a Biblical name. We went through, Caleb, Joshua and Christian. But as a first-year teacher pregnant with her first child, I had a whole host of names NOT to pick from. Many names were vetoed simply because another child had the name; possibly a child in my class; possibly a child who was challenging. I'll leave it at that.
We had settled on Harry James. I felt that Harry was an old classic throwback type of name. I thought of Harry Winston. I imagined him with curly hair and round eyes looking like his dad. Harry Potter came out and all the plans of naming my baby, Harry went out the window. Instead, we contemplated other names until we were tired. I had been listening to Fred Hammond at the time and Fred had done a song similar to the old Spanish corito we used to sing in church about David. I had thought about incorporating my father somehow as Papi is a beloved figure in my heart. But Papi's name is kind of big for a baby. His name was Virgilio, and his nickname was Rafael. I somehow couldn't fit it in with David. Dad's favorite movie was "Lorenzo's Oil" and he was enamored of the name. When my best friend, Joanne had her son and we would watch him, Papi would often call him Lorenzo and I thought that I would use this name somehow to honor my father.
So, I gave birth to a David. David was a good strong name. It means beloved. I had an aunt who was married to a David. I went to school with a few David's. I had a dear friend who is named David Mercado (Love you, Brother). I look at my son who is almost a man and I think that he looks like a David and no other name would do.
Lately, I have had Davids coming out of the woodworks. I prayed for a David last night. I prayed that this David would receive salvation in the four days he has left of life. I prayed recently for a dear co-worker who was ill named David. But I have noticed that the name David appears to be in the wind.
Coincidence? Probably not, I am praying for my dear son as he gets ready to turn 18. It seems impossible to me. I thought he would look more like his father but instead he looks more like my father. I pray for his future and for all the things that I didn't teach him and all of the things he just never learned. I pray for his future wife and his studies. I pray that someone would love him well and see all the wonderful things that I see in him and more. He is easier on me than his sister when it comes to aspects of my parenting. I am so thankful for his grace.
When you have a chance, pray for the Davids in your life and if you have an extra second, pray for my David and the life he has before him. May he follow the path of God. May he know happiness and love. May the road go well for him and my he attain salvation so that in the hereafter, I may see him again. Tears spilling down my cheeks as I pray this utterly mother's prayer and I ask with the same mom's heart to bring him up to the throne of God unabashedly. This is all. Praise the Lord!
