names

I hear that everyone's favorite word to hear is their own name. Somehow they've figured out a way to test how people react to different words (they hate the words "slacks" and "Chris Henry")

Apparently we just love our names. I do. I use all three. Seems to make sense. Most people aren't getting their money's worth out of their names. You rarely hear the middle name, unless it's Lee. Occasionally you'll get a middle initial... (Anyone remember what the T in James T. Kirk stood for?)

I'm a fan of the nickname. We named Griffin thinking that we'd honor the Griffin family, but also because we thought we'd call him either Fin or Griff (and if Evan was named Gern Blanston, we probably wouldn't have honored the Blanston family - it's a fine line between naming someone after someone else....and also needing to like the name) Cooper quickly became Coop...and I'm thinking we'll call Parker Parker (sometimes it doesn't work out)

I've never once called Annie by her real name -Ann. I've called her Annie or Annabelle for as long as I've known her (I don't think she's a fan of Ann) In truth, I never really liked the name Annie before I met Annie. Luckily a rose by any other name would smell as sweet...and I've come to love her name (or at least her nickname - Annie)

Any guy with the surname Murphy ends up being called Murph, so there's not a lot of pressure on that name. Because Annie was hopped up on hormones in the delivery room, Griffin ended up with two middle names...as did Cooper (I was outvoted 2 -1, Annie and the nurse - both times) Parker is going to have to settle with one misspelled middle name - Elisabeth. Annie wrote that one down, and I didn't really get a vote. It was our first shot at a Z in our family.

Names identify who we are to some extent. They can be superficial, and they can greatly affect who we are. I still don't get why the Royal family is a big deal just because they were born into that name. I guess I could say that about the Hiltons, Kennedys or Osbournes.

I'll always be a Murphy. No matter what I do (steal hubcaps, murder, embezzle millions, play bingo, cheat on my taxes or in Euchre) I'll always be a Murphy. I can't change that...and I wouldn't. One of the things I love about being a son is that it's irrevocable. As a child of God I know that our Father in Heaven will love us no matter what. The story of the Prodigal son is the story of a son who was never not the son of his father....it just took him awhile to realize that.

Sometimes I forget too.

I wonder if God has a nickname for me. He probably just calls me Murph and wonders why I use all three names...