I have wanted to type a little about Joshua's name and how we ended up choosing it.  Actually, the name Joshua was one that Tim and I talked about long before we even had Logan.  You know, those conversations you have when you are thinking about the future and just having a good time.  We knew that our first son's middle name would be Timothy, after Dad, and it was just too convenient that both our fathers' names were Kent, so we decided that would be the middle name of our second son.  Honestly, at the time I was pregnant with Logan, I liked the name Joshua better, but Logan sounded better with Timothy, so that is what we used first.

As I look back now, I think the Lord was intervening.  Logan's name fits him so perfectly and I know it was meant to be his name.  The same with Joshua.

After we found out about Joshua's condition, I struggled with whether Joshua was the right name for him.  Suddenly, the meaning became much more important to me.  I wanted something that would reflect the fighter in him.  I knew he was going to need to be a fighter to get through everything he would need to go through and I wanted a name that would reflect that.  Up until the day he was born, I was still unsure if Joshua really was the name for my special son.  However, I could not find something that fit, so I went with it.

That first day after Joshua arrived, my mother in law made a very interesting observation that told me the Lord was with us the whole time when choosing this name.  She commented on how appropriate it was that we would use the name of the prophet that the Lord spoke these words to: "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."  Even in his short little life, we have seen that the Lord has never left little Joshua.  He is constantly there, helping him and strengthening him and us. 

Also, I have come to understand that the meaning of the name Joshua fits right into this theme.  The name "Joshua" means "God rescues" or "Jehovah is Salvation."  Our little son is a fighter, but he is made strong because he has his Heavenly Father on his side.  Our entire family has felt the strengthening power of the Lord through everything and I know He will continue to be there.  Joshua's name will be a constant reminder of our Savior's love for us, even during the hardest of times...no...especially during those times.