WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Naming a child has been on my mind a great deal these days. I must admit that my new grandson's name could not have been better picked.

When I first hear a name, I often catch myself thinking about how difficult it will be for the child to learn to write his name when they go to school. For instance, I once did some work for a scientist who named his daughter something like Elizabeth Carolina Pastapazoule. She should be out of high school by now, but I still picture her sitting in a first grade class learning to print her name. Eli has it easy!

When our daughter and her husband named the twins, they insisted they were avoiding naming them for family. But for certain, one bears the middle name of her other grandmother. And the girls' initials can be claimed by Betty, John, and even Aunt BJ.

This thought came to me recently when John and I were staying in the home of some folks we had never met but are now practically blood relatives. We had gone out to dinner, and each couple carried a styrofoam box of leftovers back to the house. The next day, we were ready to raid the refrigerator for lunch fixings when Joanne showed me that she had labeled their box..."B and J." Needless to say, it wasn't much help.

And, now, little Elijah Hugh Wyatt has entered the picture. Mom & Pop decided to let everyone know there was a boy on the way. They had shared with me that his middle name would be after my father -- Loyal Hugh. When Elijah's Daddy called to let us know he had arrived safely, that was when we learned his name. Unknown by most everyone is the fact that William Elijah Wyatt was John's Grandfather's name. I don't think anyone was more surprised than Geoffrey.

"What's in a name?" Shakespeare asks.

"More than one could imagine." is my reply.