Written by Sue Harrison
Five-year-old Brock was in a slightly pensive mood as he told his mom, “When I get older, I might change my name .”
Brock had never seemed unhappy with his name, so his mother Lori was a bit surprised. “Change your name?”
“Yep.”
“What would you change it to?”
“Pa.”
Brock’s answer brought tears to Lori’s eyes. You see, Brock’s special name for his grandfather – Lori’s dad – is Pa.
I’ve known “Pa” for many years. He and his wife Judy are good friends of ours and also cousins through my husband’s family. So I think I’m safe to say that Brock’s declaration has to be one of the most beautiful compliments Frank – oops, Pa – has ever received. Imagine being so special to your grandson that he wants to change his name to yours.
Imagine being so eloquent – when you’re only five years old – that you can express your love in such a unique way.
Sometimes I’m not very good at telling people how much they mean to me. I’m so busy, so harried, so involved in my own life that I greet friends and family with a distracted smile, and I don’t even stop to chat. I doubt that any quick smile is as effective as spoken words. Why don’t I say what’s in my heart? “I think you’re fabulous,” or “I wish I could be more like you.”
A friend of mine, Bill Giovannetti, has written an incredible book entitled, Secrets to a Happy Life. Here’s a quote, “When you live for yourself, life makes no sense. Your own fat face gets in the way of your sense of purpose, your self-worth, and ultimately, your happiness.”
I intend to take Bill’s words to heart and, while I’m at it, to remember what I learned from a very wise five-year-old — who someday just might change his name to Pa.
What about you? Is a name change in your future?
(Photographs used by permission, copyright, 2013, Lori Nixon.)