The Name Oliver

I have been asked several times why we named our son Oliver. We put off deciding on a name until he was born. On our long drives to Idaho we had narrowed down our list to a top three of Jacob, Anthony, and Oliver. I had reasons for liking them all and would rotate between them for a favorite almost daily. Our little boy came earlier than expected, and if you want the longer version you can read it here. Surprisingly, he was rushed off to a hospital an hour away to await surgery. I remained recovering at our local hospital. During the madness of it all we kept trying to grab at one of the three names to give this child a more proper entry, but thinking clearly was not quite an option at the time. My husband would text me pictures of our little angel. I tried each of the names out on him over and over. In the middle of the night as I was trying and failing to get much needed sleep, I was able to really ponder our situation.

Matthew and I met while studying in the Holy Land. We had amazing experiences there and learned to love the land and the people. One of my favorite parts of the landscape was the olive trees. They were strong and ancient. Several of them were old enough to date back to the time of Christ. Their bark had beautiful knots and turns. And there was so much symbolism in the fruit they produce. I loved everything about them. I wondered what it would be like if these trees could speak of the things they witnessed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Their existence was a silent testimony to me of the love of our Savior.

So late at night while I was thinking of our son, I knew that he was going to be the same kind of witness. I would be able to look at him and see the love of Jesus Christ. The name Oliver was then and is now a perfect fit.