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A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Richard Reddie

Good morning.

Today marks 52 years to the day since Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, resigned, largely because of the Watergate Scandal. The sad reality for Nixon is that he is generally remembered for that event, which has become his legacy. Many years ago, maybe it was debatable whether many parents would name their son after this particular Richard.

When I asked my parents who I was named after, they were never clear; my mother suggested it was Richard the Lionheart - Cœur de Lion – or ‘Mr Three Lions’ as I call him; while my father, more prosaically, said: ‘Richard Burton’ - the legendary star of stage and screen.

I have to be honest, I was always happy with either person – an actual King of England or the one-time King of Hollywood. However, the reality is that if you examine the life of any person, prince or pauper, you will probably find, like Nixon, that they have their foibles.

In some families, it is common to name your first male son and heir, after yourself, as a way, among other things, of passing on something about yourself to the next generation. As a result, a father and son will use the monikers ‘senior’ and ‘junior’ for differentiation.

And as we all know, in many cultures, names have a meaning or significance that reflects something of a person’s heritage, identity or religious persuasion. It is not true that ‘sticks and stones may break bones, but calling names don’t hurt’, because names are important; they have power.

So, whatever your name is, take time this morning to remember the person or persons who gave it to you, and consider whether its meaning, if it has one, reflects your character.

Amen

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