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obviously biblical in its origin. Matthew is derived from the Hebrew Matityah, meaning "gift from Yahweh," which was later anglicized to Matheu and finally Matthew, meaning "gift from God." It also implies qualities of practicality, honesty, and generosity. Again, with any name lies an attractive tendency to believe that the qualities implied by its meaning are naturally applicable to its owner; I would like to believe that I am practical, honest, and generous, and to a certain extent I do feel that these attributes describe me. However, by no means do I feel allow myself to feel that because these qualities are contained by my name, they apply to me to a greater extant than anyone else; I merely aspire to reflect my namesake.

The aforementioned woods of my childhood lead me naturally to the meaning of my surname, Dubois. As with any last name, a sense of devotion and pride is associated with it, as it is an undying link to all my ancestors, both ancient and recent. It is with this name that I can trace my lineage back, so far as my descendants who immigrated from France, and so recent as my great grandmother. As with my first name, it carries meaning; Dubois is French, and means "of the wood." This carries two connotations, referring to either one who works with wood, such as a carpenter, or one who dwells or works in the woods. To me, this implies that in times past, earlier generations of Dubois' were woodcutters or carpenters, and earned their surname from their trade, as was largely the custom for European cultures.

However, for me there is a different, more personal meaning associated with the name. The name Dubois suggests a very natural, earthy, sylvan feeling to me, and evokes images of the earth tones and forests, something that were an intrinsic part of my youth and upbringing. I have already mentioned the sheer bulk of time I spent in the woods as a boy, running and leaping through the trees and thickets like some forest creature, at times even pretending to be one, or something else, usually a brave knight from the world of King Arthur and Camelot. Thus, for me (and one's name always bears the most significance for oneself), my last name holds more meaning than its simple translation; apart from the connotation of family ties held by one's surname there can also be found a personal attachment.

The idea of one's name tying one into one's own family leads me to the one aspect of my name that I have not yet addressed, my middle name. This name goes

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