I guess my mom got tired of both of us running into the house when she called only one name.  We couldn’t help it, though.  When you are outside playing and you hear someone call “Donna” or “Donnie” it sounds a lot alike.  That must be how I acquired the nickname “punkin”.  Thank goodness that nickname didn’t grow into adulthood with me.  Can you imagine someone calling the bank and having to ask for “Punkin”? 

I acquired another nickname while traveling with our district youth I.M.P.A.C.T team.  It was “George”.  I don’t remember why I got stuck with that particular name, but it did stick for a while.  I was “George” in college to some of my best friends.  But again, thank goodness that name got left behind with college textbooks and dorm rooms!

When I was little, I remember envying the girls with long names like Elizabeth or Alexandria.  Because they could be called such cute, short versions of their names….like Beth, Libbey or Alex.  There wasn’t much you could do with Donna, except to just change it to something completely different like Punkin or George.  

Names are pretty important things.  Parents will spend months trying to pick out just the right one.  When we were looking for names it was especially tough because Ben was a teacher and every time we would read a name from the “Pick the Perfect Name for Your Child” book, he would say “we can’t use that name, I had a student by that name…..”, or something to that effect.  We tried using the old family Bible to look up names that were in our family tree.  Nope, nothing there.  So we finally settled on a favorite name that we both agreed on for the first name of both our girls, and a family name for their middle name.

Names are pretty important to God, too.  I love how He used Mary’s name in the garden.  She’s distraught and weeping at the loss of her Savior and she implores the “gardener” to tell her where they have taken His body.  Then He speaks her name, “Mary.”  I’m sure it’s the way He says it that makes all the difference.  It was the same voice that spoke and released her from the demons. It was the same voice she heard cry out from the cross, “It is finished”.  And now He gently speaks her name and what she hadn’t been able to see before with her eyes, was now made plain by hearing the Savior call her name.

I hope today in the midst of all the ”stuff” of life, I can hear Him speak my name.  Some days it is easy to be overwhelmed by the “stuff” and forget to be amazed that He cares so deeply that He calls me by NAME!

You really can’t have too many. 

I don’t even care about the real expensive kind.  It doesn’t have to be the “latest look”.  In fact, I know it won’t be the lastest look right now, because the big thing in purses right now is….BIG!  Have you seen some of those purses hanging on the racks?  They look like shopping bags, not something I’d carry to work or church with me.  And tassels, they all have tassels hanging off them.

When it comes to fashion, I’m always a few steps behind.  So, next year I’ll probably like those big purses, but for now, I don’t! 

I have to have some shape to my purse.  Those big, soft, “bag” kind of purses just makes everthing fall to the bottom.  When I was in Nashville this summer, I had some time to kill, so like any women with time to kill, I spent it in the mall.  I wasn’t looking for anything in particular (which is dangerous, because that’s when you buy the most!), so I was just wondering in and out of shops.  I stopped in one that had four sale racks of purses.  I checked it out and couldn’t pass up this cute purse for $10, even though it was one of those soft-sided things.  At least it was’t the gigantic version.  I enjoyed carrying it around for a couple of days, but soon discovered that it was true….when you stick your hand inside to hunt for your lipstick, everything else just rolls to the middle and it is impossible to find it!

One of my favorite purses is one I happened to find in Nashville two years ago when I was roaming around the mall.  It’s a black and white purse, with a sturdy bottom and one main compartment.  Everything fits in it pretty neatly, and if I pack it just right, things don’t roll around and get mixed up.  My lipstick stays next to my wallet, which stays next to my tissue pack which stays next to my gum, etc.  I just love that purse.  Too bad the stitching is beginning to become unravled.  Guess it’s time to go shopping!

I wasn’t always obssessed with purses.  Before that it was pajamas.  Everywhere I went, I was on the hunt for a pair of pajamas.  But now, it’s purses.  I think I could buy one every week.  I mean why not?  What’s wrong with having one to match every different outfit?  It’s way cheaper than buying shoes…at least the purses that I find!  (Personally, I’ve never understood the deal with shoes.)  And there is an added bonus.  Often, something gets left in a purse when you are changing them around every week.  So I’m always discovering surprises when I open a purse.  It could be a favorite pack of gum, a pair of earrings or the best thing…..is money!  See….aren’t purses great?  When are you going to find $5 in the toe of your shoe?