Wisdom of 'Pearl' - What's in a name?
As they say hindsight is 20/20 and so for your birthday with the gentle persuasion of your sister, loving described as “Mother Maria” I thought I would start a blog to share pearls of wisdom I have learned over the years in hopes of offering insight as you journey through life.
As a toddler you believed God opened the heavens and dropped you from the sky into my arms. This picture captures just a small glimpse of the joy I felt being blessed with a beautiful, bubbly, baby boy who calls me Mom. We named you Robert Leland Hartfield ~ Robert after my beloved father, the happiest man I have ever know; Leland – a maternal family named passed down for generations to preserve the essence of my loving mother; Hartfield – the surname given to you by your father – who remains the love of my life.
Little did I know at the time the adventures that were in store and I continue to praise and thank God for revealing Himself to me throughout your lifetime. As they say “hindsight is 20/20” and so for your birthday 10/19/19 with the gentle persuasion of your sister, lovingly described as Mother Maria, as well as your big brother Cpt. America Paul Jr., I thought I would start a blog to share pearls of wisdom I have learned over the years in hopes of offering insight as you all journey through life.
Pearls of Wisdom or should I say “Wisdom of Pearl”?
What’s in a name?
Since the beginning of time babies are assigned names by their parents with symbolic meaning sometimes revealed to us and all too often not.
Today is my youngest child’s birthday Robert Leland Hartfield. Loaded with talent and ambition, he is currently following in the footsteps of his father, Paul Louis Hartfield, Sr., and working on his master’s degree in voice performance with hopes to be a professional opera singer. His two older siblings Maria Elizabeth Hartfield & Paul Louis Hartfield, Jr. will forever refer to him as “the baby” of the family. I myself am the youngest of four siblings and am still referred to as “the baby”. I have learned to wear this badge with honor as, in many ways, this has been an advantage over the decades as I continue to learn valuable lessons (and often avoid potential pitfalls) from my older siblings. Their memories run deeper and I am able gleam wisdom and knowledge from them into the next chapter of life. Regarding the heritage of our family name, my older brother Frank is a fount of knowledge. I believe learning about one’s heritage is critical if we are to truly appreciate our many blessings in life as well the importance of leaving a legacy and passing along the knowledge to future generations.
Many believe we were misguided in naming our two son’s and perhaps got them backwards. After all Robert physically looks like Paul Sr and has chosen the same profession while Paul Jr. has taken on many characteristics of my father, Robert Frank Waters, with military honors and physical prowess. I submit to you when God drops babies out of the sky and plants in our heart what we are to name them, we need to trust the God of the cosmos knows what He is doing!
Hence I submit the following “Wisdom of ‘Pearl’” to deepen the understanding of the divine.
Robert Frank Waters with parents Maude Klute Waters and Pearl ‘Frank’ Waters
My grandfather, Pearl Amber Waters, whom I never had the privilege of knowing died at young age due to a physical injury from a tragic accident while working on the railroad. He had a fun-loving personality and worked hard to help his family survive the depression. His legacy was passed down to my father Robert Frank Waters for whom my son, Robert Hartfield was named. Based upon many stories our son Robert was suitably named having a ‘joie de vivre’ that always sees the world as a “glass half full” rather than “half empty” no matter how dire the circumstances. Throughout life my father greeted the stressors of life with a song in his heart and whistling a happy tune. Pearl Waters was known by his nickname “Frank” given to him by his co-workers who thought the name “Pearl” not fitting for a manly man. Curiously enough, Robert had a great, great uncle named Robert Klute (my paternal grandmother’s brother) a concert pianist who had a piano studio in St. Louis in the late 1800’s. Entering college Robert developed a great love for piano/organ thanks to outstanding teachers along the way.
On my mother’s side the family name Leland from my late great, great grandfather Leland Van Buren Newell has been passed down since our ancestors pioneered the land in Loveland, CO. in the 1800’s. My mother Edna Lee Newell Waters bequeathed me her middle name Robyn Lee and my brother Leland Frank Waters. Music was always central to the family and singing around the family piano was a treasured memory. I am honored the family considers me to have inherited my mother’s singing voice. She was an excellent singer and although she did not sing professionally, she was honored to sing with the St. Louis Symphony Chorus and almost got the courage up to audition for the Muny Opera. (She told me years later she was so nervous she ended up foregoing her audition time and instead went and bought a hat) I personally believe Robert has inherited his passion for music and beautiful singing voice from both sides of the family, however, having the courage to actually go through the grueling process of auditioning and the scrutiny of critical audiences definitely is attributed to my husband, who hs always faced the fear of rejection with tremendous fortitude. Acquiring the talent is only one factor in a multi-faceted lifestyle of a professional musician. However, establishing the discipline, desire and determination to pursue music as a profession I believe is a divine calling. It all appears so glamorous from the perspective of the audience, but the sacrifices involved are only known to the artist and those with whom they share a common bond. (More on this later)
If my grandfather were alive today, I am quite sure the “wisdom of Pearl” would include something like this:
Never take for granted the rich heritage of your family afforded to you through generations gone by. We are watching you from above. Make this world a better place by living out the Christian principles with which you were raised. You have been given special gifts from God, what you do with those gifts is your gift back to God. You are loved more than words can express. At the at of 24, Robert Leland Hartfield, you are a living testimony of those who share your name and have gone before you – live boldly; love deeply; sing your song no matter who is listening; but above all, walk humbly with God ~ He will light the path ahead.