my niece's name means "child of studies"

it is the short version of "kabasomi". it comes from the western ugandan language rutooro of the batooro people.

what a sacred process the naming of a child is. i was reminded of how important the choosing is as i watched my brother and the mother of my niece go through hundreds of names discussing how the name had the potential to shape the spirit of their child.

my first name means "very beautiful, graceful". while there are times where i have not looked my best on either the outside or the inside, the importance of the meaning reverberates through me. it is important that i be beautiful and graceful in spirit. i think it also means that i am to also show others the beauty and grace they have within themselves, so that they recognize their own worth. there are so many ways in which those two adjectives can be applied in such a way as to empower all.

my name is the one thing in my life that has not changed since it was given to me. the meaning is the same. the pronunciation is the same. our name is the one thing any of us ever have that can never, ever be taken away from us.

i have hope that somi will do her name justice. she will be the one who recognizes the importance of knowledge, not for the purpose of oppressing others, but for the purpose of giving all the gift of enlightenment so that they can move forth into a world that is better because of their existence in it.