AADVENT - The Second Day, Morning

One of the "getting to know" you activities this morning was to share the meaning of your name or the history of your name.   It was interesting to hear all the stories behind the names, "paper names" - names that families brought to the U.S. in order to get in.   A story of a Romanian name that U.S. immigration officials couldn't spell or pronounce so it had to be translated to a season.  For my name my Dad, Esteban Bacosa de los Reyes, came to the U.S. as a student arrived in San Francisco after a 30 day journey across the Pacific in the bottom of a ship.   Immigration officials said his name was too long and needed to change it to something more simpler so he changed his name to Steve Reyes.   My mom came to the U.S. in the early 40's as a war bride from the Philippines.  She married  Lt. Colonel Abraham Freedmam.  From her scrapbooks and cards he sent her they were very much in love.  She was a nurse at a U.S. Hospital and he was one of her patients.    They were married in a Catholic service.  Her wedding pictures were beautiful.   But when she came to the states to join him, he realized that he could not bring a brown, Catholic woman to his Jewish home in Philadelphia and deserted her in Arkansas.   My mom had to make her way back to Stockton which at the time was the largest Filipino community in the U.S.    From the letters he wrote, he was very sorry but my Mom was very much in love with him.   

When I was born I was named Stephanie (after my dad) Reyes.   When I was baptized, my mom chose Sarah I believe because of Abraham.  Since my baptism my name has always been Sarah Stephanie Reyes.  When i had to get my passport though, my birth certificate just had Stephanie Reyes.  I had to submit all kinds of documentation that affirmed that I truly was Sarah Stephanie Reyes.  So the name is official on my passport.

So that's my name and I'm very proud of it.  It reminds me of the stories of my parents.