meaning.

thanks to my dear friend julie and her ability to be a mastet at google-ing i now feel as though there is actually meaning to my name, and in some weird sort of way, me. ridiculous, i know. humor me...

...So not only is Ashley derived from "ash tree", but the two Hebrew words "Esh" meaning fire and "Li" meaning mine. So you are "My fire". Now, as I found, the ash tree.

Ash Tree. Is., xliv, 14 (A. V. for Heb., 'oren; D. V. "pine") depicts a planted tree, watered only by rain, whose wood is suitable to be carved into images and useful as fuel (Isaiah 44:15). Probably the tree intended is Pinus pinea, the maritime or stone pine, rather than the ash, as the various species of Fraxinus grow only in the mountains of Syria, outside Palestine.

Now, as we both know, an ash is the residue that remains when something is burned, and we also know now that the ash tree had a very strong elastic wood. Such ash contains the minerals essential to the maintenance of life.

Soooooo... what does this all mean?

I believe, my dear, that you take away from this that He is most gracious to you. You have a very strong exterior which is fantastic, yet where the enemy means to carve His image into you (Isaiah 44.15), you can rest assured that God is instead carving out the image of Himself. You contain His fire, and as you allow Him to put His fire to you, you will provide healing and nurture to those around you...

in other news...
summer is still going well. i have been working a lot and babysitting. no complaints on this end. i'm just trying to be be utterly and completely exhausted. i need to catch up on rest before wednesday. i'm taking my 6.8 kids to james river camp. i am so excited! a little bit nervous for the responsibility, but i am trusting God to do a great work in the lives of these kids. some family and probably precious alesha are coming to visit at the end of june so that will be really nice too.

i'm content. today is a content day. i need to shower and get ready for my life. at some point i need to work on internship stuff. go to springfield for activities with the ab-ster later. church tomorrow. birthday party for cousin ethan...which reminds me...i need a present for that, too. and then...maybe i can relax. chill out. take a nap. that's the good life.

blessings to all.