Hawksbill Craig

On Saturday, I enjoyed a day of hiking with some new friends. The members of the group were from all over the world – China, Thailand, Kenya, Korea, and many other countries. Most of them are students at the University of Arkansas.

We hiked trails in the Buffalo River Wilderness, a beautiful area in northern Arkansas, not far from my home in Fayetteville. This photo was taken at Hawksbill Craig, a famous landmark. (For some really beautiful photos, take a look at Tim Ernst’s book,  Buffalo River Dreams.)

This rock is called Hawksbill because it looks a little like the head of a hawk (a type of bird). The mouth part of a bird is sometimes called a bill. (But, in my opinion, it is better to call the mouth of a hawk a beak.)

Craig is a Gaelic word meaning a rocky cliff.  It’s not a word that we use in everyday American English. Instead, we use the words cliff, bluff, or outcropping.

However, you will often hear Craig used as a name.  It’s one of several American names for boys that mean “rock”. Some others are:  Alan (Celtic), Cliff (Old English), Dustin (Old Norse), and Peter (Greek).

While hiking, I chatted with a man from China who is interested in names. He told me that his name means “service”; I thought that was a very fine name. He wondered what my name means, and I told him that it doesn’t mean anything at all. That seemed to make him very sad! He was so heartbroken over my lack of a meaningful name that I began to feel a little self-conscious about it.

Today I did an internet search for the meaning of Rae and discovered that it is from Hebrew, and it means “ewe”, a female sheep. I like that! It makes me think of the famous Bible passage that compares God to a shepherd who lovingly guides, protects, and cares for his sheep.

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters;

he refreshes my soul.

He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.  - Psalm 23:1-3

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What does your name mean?

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