30 Day Blog Challenge, Day 2: The Meaning of My Blog's Name

Day 2 (of the 30 Day Blog Challenge, check it out here) 

is sharing the meaning behind my blog's name:

Beautiful Century, A Beautiful Life

One of the biggest blessings my mother gave me was my name.

Kind of like Joseph being given a special coat,

I am the only one with a Japanese name.

My father chose my siblings' names, 

but my mother was determined to give a Japanese name to one child.

And she chose this name for me.

In the formal written language, 

the meaning is formed with the specific combination

of the Japanese characters.

I have to share the meaning of the name 

in order for someone to be able to properly write it.

The characters that form my name, Miki,

translate to Beautiful Century.

My mother's hope that my life would be long and meaningful.

I am so glad that my mother taught me Japanese.

I miss chatting with her and teasing her in Japanese.

I thought I was doing so well with grieving her passing,

until it hit me that I wouldn't have anyone to speak Japanese with.

And that she wouldn't cook all the special dishes she loved making for me.

Since I was a child, I've always preferred Japanese food.

We enjoyed watching sumo together.

She was a professional dancer,

trained in traditional Japanese dance from the age of three.

I loved watching her dance.

I miss my mom.

Her legacy continues...

she helped me with the Japanese characters and the meaning 

of my youngest son's name.

My husband and I found the name Keizo.

Really felt strongly that it was the right name for him.

Then my mom told us about this honorable samurai in our family history.

The characters that form my son's name are the same as that ancestor.

Keizo means "God's grace, blessing, mercy and love."

His middle name Jun means pure.

My children are learning Japanese,

and they know just enough to be able to tease me.

My mother's influence and heritage lives on.