Nicknames

I have been thinking a lot about nicknames lately. Personally, I believe you can tell a lot more about a person by their nicknames than you can by their given name. Often times your name was decided before you were even born, before you had a personality to be known. But nicknames usually come later. And you aren't limited to just one. And if they don't directly speak to who you are, they speak to your relationship with others. They're wonderful things. Here are a few of mine and the stories behind them.

Sandy - it's a nickname. My given name is Sandre. It's pronounced just like "Sandra" but spelled differently because it's a family name. I was nicknamed Sandy so there would be no confusion between me and my grandmother (who was also named Sandre) but somehow Sandy seems to suit me.

Punkin - this was my mom's nickname for me. Nobody else is allowed to use it. I don't exactly know where it came from, but I like it. I will probably use it for one of my kids.

Sandree - I think this one came from my friend Lauren and really sort of stuck during divinity school. It's obviously a play on a frequent mis-pronunciation of my given name. Jeff makes fun of it so he isn't allowed to use this one.

Bodean - This one came from Jeff. He never really gave me a nickname until after we were married. Then as soon as we came home from our honeymoon he decided I needed a nickname and that's what he came up with! It started as "Mrs. Bodean" and "Rev. Bodean", but now it's usually just Bodean. It doesn't sound right coming from anyone else and I don't think I'd let anyone else use it.