My Delicate Little Flowers

We got a present in the mail yesterday. My MIL had made a framed cross-stitch for Milly just as she had done for Sophie years ago.  Both are beautifully done. My MIL is extremely talented.

Sophie's has her first name in English and in Greek. The verse is 1 Timothy 3:15 and was chosen because "Sophia" means "wisdom" in Greek. Her name is surrounded by cherry blossoms because her middle name is Sakura, the Japanese cherry blossom tree.

We named Milly "Millicent Mei" because we wanted the girls to have somewhat similar name meanings. "Millicent" means "brave strength" in Old French. "Mei" means "the youngest of sisters" and "beautiful" in Japanese. What we had neglected to notice was that there was a blossom hidden in our littlest girl's name, too.

First, I love that my MIL chose one of my favorite verses for Milly. Proverbs 31 is perfect for her because it references that strength that her first name means but it also tells about her smile. My MIL even put a sun on the picture. Ben and I have said time and time again that Milly's smiles are like sunshine in the darkest of night. Second was the flower. Mailed with this beautiful picture were printouts explaining the flower.

Apparently, when the sakura trees are sleeping, the plum trees are blooming. Japanese plum trees are called "Mei".

So these are my sweet flowers. My Sophia Sakura and my Millicent Mei. They blossom at different times so our lives are always filled with beautiful blooms.