The Meaning of Eliana -post by mommy

If you look up the meaning of Eliana you will find "Eliana's origin is Latin, and its use, English, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. Older forms of the name include Aelia (Latin) and Aeliana (Latin). The name is either from the Latin Aeliana, which is ultimately of the Greek Helios ('sun'), or else it could be of Hebrew roots. The Roman family name Aelianus gave rise to the feminine Aeliana, which later became Eliana and was made known via the cult of Saint Eliana, an early minor martyr in Pontus." It sounds like to me that no one is sure of where the name came from exactly and neither do I. People always ask me where I came up with that name and I have no idea. I don't remember hearing it or reading it for the first time but I do remember thinking that if I ever had a daughter I would like to name her the most beautiful name that I have ever heard and that was Eliana.

It also means "God has answered" And he did. This is a funny story because I wanted my brother Ted and his wife Andi to have a baby so badly and was actually praying for a playmate for Evan. How nice it would be for Evan to have someone to run around the house with during holidays and family get togethers. Ted and Andi weren't in total agreement with me so I figured maybe if I prayed hard enough God will make it happen. And he did. He "answered my prayers". I became pregnant. The story continues though because after finding out I was pregnant I still wanted Ted and Andi to have a baby so I thought maybe I need to be more specific as I didn't realize the power of prayer. So I prayed that my sister in law would become pregnant. And she did. But it was the wrong sister in law. So NOW I'm praying that Andrea Lambert, formally Andrea Mattero, also know as Andi who lives on Grays Lane in Glenolden Pennsylvania becomes pregnant and has a baby. I'll let you know what happens.

In Arabic, it is translated as "the Bright", and the Latin "Eliana" derives from the Latin family name "Aelianus," which corresponds to the Greek word Helios (sun). If you read my post trying to describe Eliana's smile you would know how well this name fits her. When she smiles she turns into my very own beam of sunshine that I can hold in my arms and cuddle and cover with kisses. Her whole face lights up when she smiles and her sunshine is so bright that it lights up your face as well. And she is full of smiles. She is full of smiles, and joy, and laughter, and love.

Happy Joy print by Andrew Bannecker