My sister, Shauna, has a plethora of nicknames. In a given sentence I might call her a couple of the names. On a regular basis, I will refer to her as Shauncy... this came from a little preschool boy my mother used to teach Sunday School to a long time ago. Another is Nazanene... a long form of Nazzie, which came from Lazzie, which is the nickname of Shaunc's twin sister... and well, they're twins so matching nicknames are where it's at, right?? Nikko is also a name you'll hear her being called. Where did that come from? I'm not exactly sure. But the unspoken rule with her nicknames is that if starts with an "N" it's usually her nickname.
But more important than a nickname is a person's name name. A name is like a given birthmark... it's a part of who a person is! Almost like the label that goes on a package.
When I was little, I didn't like my name. I thought it was weird. It was different and I didn't understand its meaning. To a little girl, what does "Of Good Character" mean anyway?! All I knew about the word "character" was associated with Disney or looney toons. I remember wanting a "normal" name like my friends at school. I wanted cool name plates & pencils with my name on it. Plus, it's not the most fun thing in the world when nearly every person you meet can't pronounce your name. Role call at school was pretty much the same year to year. The teacher would go down the list and I always knew when my name was about to be called, because there was a bit of a pause as the poor teacher (who was used to Saras and Joeys) had to attempt this new name. And yes, it carried into college. As I grew older, I got used to it and stopped correcting people. I allowed them to call me whatever interpretation of "Sunita" they could pronounce. It was kind of like a little game... for my entertainment only (I must say, one of my favorites was a guy calling me "Santini"... I'm still confused as to how he ever came to that pronunciation... in such cases, I just smile & nod).
I used to work at a bank, and that was certainly an experience in the name game, especially since I started out at a branch that was in a retirement area. Lots of Ethels & Henrys. However there was a sweet little old woman that would come through the drive through every now and then and make conversation with me. One day she asked me my name. I told her and she asked me to write it on her receipt. I think a month went by and she came through again. At the end of the transaction she handed me this...
I was pretty amazed. First off, because she found something with my name. Second, it had a radical, fresh take on the definition of my name. And thirdly, the verse is seriously something that I need reminders of daily... hourly... minutely. That was about six years ago. And as you can see, I still have it. It's by my bedside.
I don't know that I live up to my name as much as I should. But I do know that God has allowed me to have such a name for a purpose. I hope and pray by His grace that I can do it justice. Thanks to mis padres for giving me a unique name. They actually thought they made it up... and it turns out to be a real name... a real Indian name! I can't believe they did that! I'm the only one in my family with a really Indian name. Isn't that crazy?! Good crazy though.
I don't have kids, but I imagine one day the task of naming my son or daughter will be one of the greatest (and kinda freaky) honors EVER! After all, I'm essentially "branding" my baby!
What's in a name? A lot. Truth. Power. Identity. What does your name mean? And what does it mean to you? Like with products, the brand describes the product... but the product also helps define the brand. Your name not only shapes who you are... but you essentially shape the meaning of your name as well!
That's a big responsibility... a really beautiful one.
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