Destiny. A name used to describe future plans. The right path. A higher power. It comes from the Latin word destinare meaning “to determine”. But the name I was given at birth isn't the name people use most often. 

Destiny was born Maria Natalia. Being from Guatemala, maria is the most commonly used girls name. Maria Natalia is the name my birth parents gave me. I don’t have much from them so Maria is very special to me. 

The story of my name change; I was the girl my mom had been waiting for. She was going to give it to one of my brothers. it was my Destiny with God’s grace that I became her daughter. The one she always planned for. As a baby all I did was smile. People may hear Destiny and think its as warm as a smile. She thought I would make a great impact on people.  my mom knew I was going to be different from others.   Growing up she could tell having a family would play a major part in my life. Since I was little she used my name as an example of how my life would be: “It will be your destiny to have a family of your own” “you make your destiny” “being positive will create a better future”. 

My name is a positive word. A star. A bright, shining name. My name could mean fortune- people used to think stars predict their future. They wish on a star for their destiny; maybe a star's meaning relates more than I think. 

Names mean so many things. Mine was supposedly my “destiny”.