What's Really in a Name?

Sara Holt.


Two four-letter words. These two words stalk me. They are everywhere. I open my mailbox and there they are on a bright white envelope. I walk into my classroom and there they are on my classroom door written in black block print. I swipe my debit card and there they are, written in silver on a shiny turquoise-colored plastic. I send an email and there they are in the signature line in a Lucinda Handwriting. And I don't just see them, I hear them too. I walk down the hallway and I hear someone shouting them. I answer the phone and I hear someone on the other end of the line asking for them. Two simple words. My name. 


But what is really in a name? Why do I even have it?


A name is defined by dictionary.com as "a word or a combination of words by which a person, place, or thing; a body or class; or any object of thought is designated, called, or known." Therefore, the simple purpose of a name is to set someone apart from among the rest. It is not who I am as a person, but who I am as a person is in my name. 


Sara Holt is not me. Sara Holt is what represents me. It is my substitute. If I can not be somewhere, it stands in for me. It allows people to recognize who I am. My name tells them that I am the daughter of Ted & Linda Moore. I am the sister to Andrew Moore & Misty Gibson. I am Kevin Holt's wife. I am one of the Quad Pod's sisters. I am a 3rd grade teacher to 26 amazing kids. I am a child of Christ. These are who I am. These are the things that are in my name. Therefore, my name is extremely important. It is the two words that sums up my being. Those two words can be run through the dirt and tarnished or they can be praised and upheld until they are golden. Either way, it is who I am as a person that distinguishes how those two simple four-letter words will stand in and represent me.


What is really in your name and what does it say about who you are?