What's in a name?

When I was born, my parents could only agree on one thing. This one thingwas to give me the name Samantha. Of all the names they could agree on, I wonder why this was the one. I really don't like this name, but as I get older I am starting to appreciate it more and more.

When I was in Reception (and for those who don't know, that's what they call 'Prep' in South Australia), my teachers stumbled upon a problem. I was not the only Samantha in the class. There was indeed, another Samantha. Now this could easily be fixed by just calling me Samantha S, right? Wrong! Because we both had surnames starting with S!

So when we entered into grade one, the first day, the classroom teacher fixed the problem. After a quick discussion, I was renamed Sammy, and the other Samantha just became Sam.

Sammy comes with a lot of little cliche's added at the end. Sammy the snail, the sea gull, sea slug, sea snail.. you get the picture. Many of which I got throughout my life at school.

My last name is Smedley. Smedley, in old english, means "smooth clearing". In about year six I made my own name for myself, which was Smedles [Smed-ools]. I tried to be Smeds but soon my sister got that title, and it sticked to her better than it did me. I remember kids turning Smedles into snails. And in my early high school days getting the names Sammy Smelly and Sammy Shmell-bad. And I was up for these terrible last names, because when you wrote Smedley into Microsoft Word, and you would click spell check, it would say Smedley: Did you mean Smelly?

Later into VCE, I was called either Shammy my car (I found that one amusing), C-mos (a very long story - and for those who don't know, it's a clock battery in your computer), Sammy Airways, and also, by my IT teacher, I was dubbed Sammy-badger-badger.

Time went on, and I didn't really get many more names. But then suddenly, about a year ago (although it seems so much longer!) I met this girl, who appears has has also been given a few different names. In fact, she quite commonly goes by the name of a cooking instrument.

It all started one night talking nonsense about various food, and it has grown into something greater.

You see, this friend of mine, she really likes brussels sprouts. So one day, after school, I went down to the local fruit and veg place, and brought her a bag of brussel sprouts.

On this bag, I wrote "You will always be my brussels sprout, no matter where you are, even when you're out of season!"

And so there started the new thing. She turned into Sprout, and somehow I was dubbed the name, "Broccoli".

A few weeks later I went to do a bit of stuff for kids4life at a school. I didn't know one of the guys were there, but some how he thought my name was "Flick". It started a new thing. My friend that DID know me began to call me Flick too! Luckily it hasn't stuck too much.

But going back to this Sprout friend of mine, last night we were getting into a very bizarre in depth conversation. I don't even know how it started. But basically, my new name now is Grandma.

But then my question is this: how can I be Sprout's grandma, when I am 2 years younger than her? We were trying to mathematically work this out last night, and I guess what I want to ask, dear blogger, is it possible, to have a grandmother who is 2 years younger than you? I'm interested to hear your responses!

I just wonder what my next name will be!

the list

I found an interesting list when I was looking for a notebook this morning. It was written probably in 2001, when I would have been in year 9, when "career advice" is being fed down your throat.

"Careers"
Flight attendant
pilot
female priest
park ranger youth worker/councilor
photographer
website designer
worker for World Vision in East Timor
Carer
Air Force
Cartoonist/Animator
Horticulturalist
Assistant Nurse
Accountant
Own my own airline: "Sammy Airways"
Army
Chiropractor
Post Office worker
writer
a DJ
Tour Guide

Does anyone else find it interesting that with all this diversity of jobs, teacher was not on the list? One thing I guess is important to note was this list would have been made before I went to Indonesia.

Something else that struck me (I assume I did this in 2004 - year 12) is that I crossed out everything and wrote "whatever God wants me to do!"

Now this strikes me with a question: How much control do we really have over our career choice? I believe that while we are quite capable of making our choices (whether they be good or bad according to the driving motivation) God opens and closes doors of opportunities.

Thinking about my career so far, I watched God open doors I thought would be padlocked. He allowed me to move all the way to Bendigo, and get me into a course my enter simply didn't 'benchmark'. Then the opportunity to go to Indonesia came up. Wow. How did that happen?

When we commit our ways to God, He will "make the path straight". That is an actual surrendering of our lives and our ambitions. The thing with straight paths though, as simple as that sounds, once you get past the surrender, and have the straight path, there are still distractions, there can still be things in front of you that you need to face! But aha, never fear, God is here! (and so come forth the cheesiness)

The other day I went for a walk. It's like my house mate continuously tells me, "walking is good for the soul". I was in a bit of a dilemma. I had to make a choice about the Indonesia trip really fast. There were voices all around me, some concerned for me telling me to stay, some eagerly pulling me by my shirt pleading with me to come.

As I walked on that sunny day down Sommerville St, praying about this matter, I felt God placing on my heart something that happened when I went in 2002.

Last time I went, I didn't really want to go. But while I was over there, I was absolutely heartbroken with the poverty and crazy things I saw. I was hurting for a hurting nation.

While I was walking, I felt God kind of talking to me about the orphanage. (I was actually unsure at the time whether we were actually going to an orphanage or not. Later clarification with Steff assured me that, yes, we are going to an orphanage.) I felt like God was really just like, "I hate to break it to you, but this is gonna break your heart."

Often God can use heartbreak as a motivating force to change our world. This motivating heartbreak I felt back in 2002 will be renewed when I go Indonesia. Just seeing the way these people live, you think, "how am I so darn lucky?" It's a bit like this I suppose. It's exciting, but it's also very scary. (I want to be heartbroken and motivated over my homework hehe)

Indonesia isn't the only thing I have heartbreak for. I have a massive ache for the children in this country (well, ok, even the world) and the things they go through. The things I experience on pracs is often a driving force to do something big in my community!

Back on track (pardon the pun), straight may not always mean logical. Straight may cost you something. Straight often seems crooked (but just remember who has the Perception). Life isn't just a highway you can ride all night long, as Mr. Tom Petty says. Jesus said go through the Narrow gate.. Why would you go through a narrow gate when it seems logical to keep following through on the freeway?

Quite honestly, I think it's still early days in my 'career'.

Seek out God's Will, it's beyond your wildest dreams!