I've been thinking about names a lot lately with Usain Bolt racing through the Olympics, a name-changing engagement, and the usual suspects of distractions in the day.

Names are important. They can speak truth, adventure, life, or schoolyard bullying over us ("Ima Hogg"...really?) When my kids were born, I labored over more than just their entrance into the outside world; their naming kept me up at nights (or maybe that was their kicking.)

Madi's middle name is "Noel" because her dad and I were so stoked about her coming that it was time to throw a party! Kenan's middle name is "Justice" because I'd always wanted to be a lawyer and before he was born, I kept dreaming of a blond-haired warrior. Cool fact: Kenan's name is biblical; the first Kenan was Adam's great-grandson and an ancestor of Mary, Jesus' mum.

Even God has a thing for names. My favorite of his "nicknames" is "Emmanuel" which means "God with us."

Just writing that name makes me stop to soak it in; God with us. Wowzer.

Emmanuel.

Some of my favorite biblical names and their meanings: Asher: happy, Tabitha or Dorcas: gazelle, Abigail: beautiful/wise or "my father is joy", Karis/Charis: grace, Hezekiah: God strengthens, Jehosephat: Yahweh has judged (I think I just liked saying, "Jumping Jehosephat!"), Cinnamon:named for the spice, Nimrod: rebel (hee. hee!), and Zipporah, which means "bird."

Growing up with a name like "Allie Eskew" (Allie is a nickname) meant that I heard all sorts of clever riffs on my moniker. The most redundant was the "Bless you" after I repeated my name (as if I had sneezed.) Now that I am going to be "Something Something Price" soon, I've been thinking about what sort of name I want to saddle myself with for the duration of my breathing. You are invited to weigh in.

My legal name is long and involves French, Irish/English, and Dutch/Old French influences which basically amount to "Noble, Noble/Honest, Squire, Fat Wine". WINNING!

If I go with a name that describes me currently it could be: Crash, Speedy, Chicken (as in "look! a...), Leap, Flip, Ninja (not really), Kwerky, Mumsie, God-giggled, Loved, Wonder, Mosaic, or Chocolate - Reeses actually.

And I have a name - or a few - that I really hope to live up to like: Free, Redeemed, Transformed, Loving, Died-for, Rescued, Surprised, and Mumsie.

My goal is to honor this God who is a sneaky good God (Hellooooo great kids & Howard & more great kids & friends!), honor Howard, our kids, and make it pronounceable. No Faulkneresque "Yoknapatawpha" or Zappa-like "Dweezil" or "Moon Unit." Oops is out, too. I've heard enough of that in the last 45 years, thank you VERY much.

What name would you give yourself?

Let me know. Perhaps you will inspire the blind one-eyed pirate cat and I to greater names (that will end in "Price").

And thank you for your support.