Hi everyone,

I don't know about you, but to me names are very important.  they give us a sense of being rooted in family.  If someone misspells our name or mis- pronounces it or calls us by a different name, we usually cringe or correct the person.  Well and then there is L'Arche daybreak and names.

There is something so incredible about hearing our name here at L'Arche Daybreak.  The core members are so wonderful and loving and often our names are massacred, but there is a joy in that.

I get "dreff" from Elizabeth at Corner House, Jeffy Weffy from Ellen at Stephensen, Jeffrey from Anne Marie, George from Mary Anne and John Bloss calls me Bill.  Camilla gets Camina, Anina, Milla, ca-ca-milla or Zi-zi-zu.  Venus becomes Visa. Numju becomes Anju. Osamu becomes Sam Sam.  Anna becomes Anna Banana. Liska becomes oska....Regianne (pronouced hey-ji-anny) gets Reggie. Tiago (pronouced  chi-ago) gets chago or James Bond (Tiago is James in Portuguese). Gordie Henry calls everyone "meatball". John Smeltzer calls  the guys "Big guy" and the ones from Brazil "Brazil".

Beneath the names are a deep relationship of love and budding friendships.  We find ourselves calling each other by the names the core members give us.  It is an amazing  thing that touches us at the heart of our being.

I think of the passage of scripture "I have called you by name, you are mine".  There is a deep sense that the core members call us to community and accept us as lovingly and deeply as God does.  Their greeting to us is as biblical as this passage.

Think of the names you give each other at home and their meaning.  It is so often a sign of affection.  This Advent season, we name Jesus "Emmanuel" "God with Us".  It speaks of  a deep relationship with us, a deeper calling and challenge to come to community.

Until next time...

Dreff

Names are so important and often