He's Here

Today at 4:03 Taiyari Arhirani Anderson-Cabrera was born. He was 6 pounds 14 ounces and 19.5 inches long. He is very healthy and Mom is doing great. After tallying all the votes we decided to name him Taiyari Arhirani. Pronounced tie (like one of the ties you put around your neck) yar, (like the yar in yard - for English only speakers the accent is on the ya syllable) eee (like eat). Yes Grandma you can call him Tie. Here is a short explanation of what these names mean and where they are from.

Taiyari comes from the Huichol language and translates into English as our heart. The Huicholes are an indigenous people from the State of San Luis Potosi. They were, and still are, highly respected as exceptional healers and shamans. Currently there are 20,000 native huichol speakers who currently live in three community centers in Jalisco. They are said to have an amazing knowledge of medicinal plants. We recently learned some LDS scholars believe the Huicholes are one of the few group of pure Nephites left.

Arhirani comes from the P'urhépecha language and translates into English as the Director. The P'urhépecha are an indigenous people from the State of Michoacán. They were, and still are, highly respected as coppersmiths. Currently there are 100,000 native P'urhépecha speakers. They are said to have an amazing knowledge of metal working. They were known by the Nahuas as Michhuàquê which translates into English as those who had fish. It is the Nahuatl name Michhuàquê that lead to the name of the State of Michoacán.

What Would You Say

We were sitting in church yesterday waiting for a baptism to start when the conversation turned to the tragic shootings in the Omaha mall. As I pondered these unfortunate events a thought came to mind that I then presented to those sitting around me.

Imagine for a minute that you were one of the victims of the shooting. You have just died and your spirit has left your body. The veil has been removed from your mind and you can now comprehend things eternal. Around you are the spirits of the other victims and then, within a few seconds the shooter has taken his own life and his spirit has left his body.

I then asked this question, what do you say to him? As I thought about this question I began wondering what could have happened to this person to make him feel so alone and neglected. I asked why God would permit one of His children to have lost all hope. As I thought about these questions my mind turned to the Savior. I then realized what I would say to the shooter if I was one of his victims. I would tell him not to worry and that everything would be o.k. I would testify that he has a Savior who loves him and who would do everything within His power to provide him with those feelings of hope that had eluded him in mortality.

This experience left me with a renewed sense of gratitude to my Heavenly Father for the support system that he has provided for me in my life. A support system I often taken for granted, which includes wonderful and supportive friends and family. I want to thank those people who have helped me find my purpose in life. Who have provided me with something to be proud of. And most importantly, who have taken the time to let me know that I am not alone.

Very Important Announcement - Updated

Due to some recent inspiration we have decided to name our child Tubaloth.

Unfortunately, our families have threatened violence if we continue with our desires to name our child Tubaloth. We are officially withdrawing our latest announcement; I am really sorry Justin. Please continue voting for the other names.

Thanks Dad

I wish someone would have told me how bad it sucks to grow up and gain responsibilities. The last couple of months I have been in the awful process of trying to find reasonable health insurance for my family. I was not prepared for how depressing it would be. The insurance offered by my employer is outrageously priced with a huge deductible and large co-pays. To insure Ericka alone would cost me 300 dollars a month; an amount that I cannot afford. Thus, I have turned to insurance offered by private companies. Unfortunately, they do not provide much better rates. I find myself praying that no one in my family gets ill because if they do I don't know if we will be able to get them the help that they need.

All of this despair has helped me understand how much I took for granted when I was younger. I never was concerned about what a medical procedure would cost. I did not worry about co-pays or deductibles. If I was sick I went to the doctor and assumed that the insurance company paid for everything. Now I realize how naive I was. My Dad has always told us that he could not quit Autoliv because he needed the insurance. I can now comprehend why a man would work somewhere like Autoliv just for health insurance. I have seen firsthand how priceless, and in my experience how hard to come by, a decent health insurance plan is. I have gained a new appreciation for my Father. In short, thanks Dad for all the sacrifices you made and all that you gave up in order to ensure that your family was properly taken care of.

Alcohol

Although I realize that when it comes to alcohol my wife is the expert, I still opted to write today's post. As a prosecutor I know the criminal consequences that can come with alcohol. I have seen firsthand what happens when youth decide to experiment with alcohol.

A little over a year ago a youth in Lexington decided to drink and drive. He had several other youth in his vehicle among which were his two best friends. These were best friends that he had since childhood. He was going in excess of 50 miles-per-hour and lost control. His vehicle flipped over on the front lawn of the High School and caught on fire. His two best friends were killed.

A couple of weeks ago another youth in Lexington decided to drink some beer and take his father's car out for a joy ride. He was driving through the residential streets by my home in excess of 55 miles-per-hour. He tried to turn left, lost control and jumped up and over the curb and sidewalk. He was unable to stop his vehicle and traveled through my next door neighbor's front yard and into their living room. My children have played in that front yard on several occasions. We are grateful that his actions did not end with any casualties.

However, today at the monthly Lexington Drug and Alcohol Council meeting I learned that alcohol can also have intellectual consequences. Two neuropsychologists did research at Duke and the University of California, San Diego on the effect of alcohol on adolescents. They found that as little as one beer has impairing effects on the brain processes involved with our critical thinking abilities. Furthermore, it is possible that these impairing effects are irreversible.

Knowing what a permanent impact alcohol can have scares me and it bothers me what a prominence it has with youth today. It leaves me wondering what I can do to ensure that my children do not suffer these consequences.

The Importance of a Name

So, we have still not decided on a name for the new baby. I have promised Ericka that we would give this child a traditional Hispanic name. I did this for five reasons. First, as you all know Ericka is Mexican, not just Mexican por dicho, but was born and raised in Mexico. Justifiably Mexico is an important part of her life. Second, as of yet her children have been given the following names: Carl, Emma, and Joseph; clearly there is nothing Latin about those names. Third, none of her children even remotely appear to be Hispanic. Fourth, her children prefer to speak English. Fifth, it is nearly impossible to truly share the Mexican culture she came to love while growing up in Puebla. Thus, I promised her we would choose a traditional name for our fourth, and hopefully not, but possibly last child.

Choosing a Latino name has not been easy for us, primarily because all of the names we picked out where feminine; we were certain we were having a girl. The only name we could decide upon was Miguel Santiago, but neither of us are really excited about it. Then Ericka found a web page with names in the indigenous languages of Mexico. She was so excited about it and we decided to choose a name off of the list. We have narrowed our choices down, but would like some suggestions. Here are the following names along with their meanings in English.

1. Arhirani--To Direct
2. Irepani--The Founder
3. Taiyari--Our Heart
4. Chanteco--Man of the House
5. Tapuyeri--Vigilant from the West
6. Rayénare--Sun
7. Papekori--Eagle
8. Arihuá--Soul
9. Kakayari--Ancestors
10. Yaitowi--Creator of Man

We believe that naming children is important. We have tried to give names to our children that would provide them with a sense of purpose in life. Thus, we named Carl after my paternal grandfather, a man who perfectly resembled everything that we find good and holy in life. We named Emma Ruth after the Prophet Joseph's wife and after my paternal grandmother, two wonderful women. We named Joseph after the Prophet Joseph, next to the Savior the most important man to have lived. Thus we hope that by giving this child a indigenous name he will always carry with him Ericka's Lamanite heritage. A heritage that he should be proud of. Tell us what you think.