Our New Home Name is...

We were all sitting around the dinner table on Christmas Eve as we discussed what our new home's name should be and things were sounding desperate.

Dad: What about the Healing Cottage?

Me: I don't know which one is worse--"Healing Cottage" or "Little House on the Prairie" (Little House on the Prairie was a name Dad was originally insistent on, and one that I would cringe at)

Yuriko: I'm still voting for Porcas. You know how they stick the names of couples together, like Brangelina? Paul and Dorcas stuck together would be Porcas. Or the other way around would do just fine: Doal!! Being that Mom is the dominent one in the relationship, it would be more appropriate if her name came first. *snicker

Yuya: What about Nasu Home? It's simple, and ...well,...safe.

Me: I liked Blades home. That was a cool name for a home...

Akari: I like that name. Let's be Blades Home.

Mom: Or New Blades Home or something.

Yuriko: Or! What about BaJiNa? B stands for Banana and you know how Dad loves bananas. J stands for Jesus, and N stands for Nasu! We could so be the BaJiNa Home!! Or NaiJaBa. Same thing, same meaning, you know.

Nozomi: I like Yuriko's ideas best!!

And all this went on for quite a while, and can you guess which name our New Home ended up with?

None of the above, ( Thank Heavens!!)

The genius among us by the name of Ai, came up with "Ichthus". It was settled in a matter of seconds.

Doesn't it sound fantastic?

Not convinced about how cool our new home name is?

Well, read on!!!

Ichthys or Ichthus (Greek: ἰχθύς, capitalized ΙΧΘΥΣ or ΙΧΘΥC) is the ancient and classical Greek word for "fish." In English it refers to a symbol consisting of two intersecting arcs, the ends of the right side extending beyond the meeting point so as to resemble the profile of a fish, said to have been used by early Christians as a secret symbol and now known colloquially as the "sign of the fish" or the "Jesus fish"

Symbolic meaning

The use of the Ichthys symbol by early Christians. Ichthus (ΙΧΘΥΣ, Greek for fish) can be read as an acrostic, a word formed from the first letters of several words. It compiles to "Jesus Christ, God's son, savior," in ancient Greek "Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Θεοῦ Υιός, Σωτήρ", Iēsous Christos, Theou Huios, Sōtēr. (i) is the first letter of Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς), Greek for Jesus.

• Iota (i) is the first letter of Iēsous (Ἰησοῦς), Greek for Jesus.
• Chi (ch) is the first letter of Christos (Χριστóς), Greek for "Christ" or "anointed".
• Theta (th) is the first letter of Theou (Θεοῦ), that means "God's", genitive case of Θεóς, Theos, "God".
• Upsilon (u) is the first letter of huios ( ͑Υἱός), Greek for Son.
• Sigma (s) is the first letter of sōtēr (Σωτήρ), Greek for Savior.

So, everybody, we are NOT "The Healing Cottage", nor are we "Naijaba", "Paulcus", "Doal" or "Blades". We are not Nasu Home, or the "Paul and Dorcas Home", We are officially Ichthus!! Remember that, and don't forget it.

One thing I thought was so cool about this name was that it means "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior", and that we named our Home Ichthus on Christmas Eve when the world is celebrating Jesus' birth. It's very significant, if you'd ask me.

Some pictures of our Christmas Eve gathering, the Christmas tree, presents, etc.