What's in a Name?

I am presently reading a book by Twyla Tharp, called The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it for Life. In chapter three, in the section on exercises she talks about the value of our given name. In this section on names she suggests choosing a name for yourself. If you are like Twyla, you are perfectly satisfied with the name you got from your parents. Some are, some are not. Which are you?

Is choosing name in preference to your given name do something for you. Could it just be an expression of regret or rebellion? My own story in this matter was that in the early days of my life I changed my name, albeit, not in the legal sense. My name is Charles, and I had somewhat of a tough time getting to know my father and unconsciously resented that he never became my friend. He and I were relative strangers in our own home. In San Diego, I met and admired a young man who was called Chuck, and then another also a Chuck. They, each in their own way, seemed to have a handle on their lives. I liked them, so when they moved on, I changed my name, or at least what I called myself, to "Chuck". I was Chuck for the next 20 years when I discovered and joined a kind of self-help growth group. I was with them for about three years, and at the last conference we had a gestalt exercise where we were to remember someone with whom we had unfinished business, whether dead or alive. The person that came to my mind was my dad. He had been dead for 15 years but was still haunting my feelings about myself. When I was 22 I had accepted Christ as my Saviour, and virtually everything in my life changed, became better. Not all was healed that day, but ten years later I had the privilege of being present when my father trusted in Christ. He passed away during the following night. It would be another 15 years before I got it right with Him. In the gestalt exercise above, I imagined him seated there in front of me, my telling him what I thought of him and the terrible things he did (or so I thought) to me and our family. I had some really ugly memories about those time and told him so. Tremendous peace took the place of the resentment and my relationship with him eased. A few days after while out on the street walking I imagined that I was putting all my hard, unforgiving, painful experiences, all the wrongs done to me, all the derision I had experienced into an imaginary and quite large balloon, blowing everything I could think of or remember and when I finished filling the balloon, I held it over my head and as I let it go up to God. I remember hearing the flut, flut flut of it flight up to Him. I had never felt so clean and pure, so blessed and loved as then. Within a few days I began to call myself Charles again. You see, because He is so wonderful, and so redeeming, I trusted my inner being to Him. I praise Him for leading me to this place, and I am happy to recognize that "Charles" was the best name I could have. It means strong and manly.

So now I a not Chuck, I am Charles.

Coach Charles