names

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The Names We Put On Streets Can Make You Smile

The names we put on streets should have some meaning or relevance to them. 

the names we put on street can make you smile

We travel down streets everyday and don’t think too much about their names. But many names, if not most street names, are not randomly selected. Rather have some kind of history or thought behind them.

For instance, the famous Yonge Street in Toronto was named after Sir George Yonge. He was a friend of the namer and an expert on ancient Roman roads. 

Street names are not randomly picked out of a hat.

Some of the names we find on street signs come from those who built the homes or buildings on that street. 

Back in the late 70’s, my folks went on a trip to England and, while they were there, had their picture taken on Silcock Street. Apparently I had a great grandfather who built homes and had a street named after him. 

Street names mean something. Without a street name we are left with just numbers which are quite boring.

After growing up in Toronto with its’ interesting street names, I moved to Edmonton where they don’t use street names for the majority of their streets. 

One of the first things I did when I arrived was to go into a book store to purchase a map. I quickly found out that in Edmonton you don’t really need a map. All the streets and avenues are numbers based on where the street is in conjunction to the center of the city.

It was easy to get anywhere, but not that interesting living at 7313 – 183b Street. 

Street names have some spice. There is meaning and a story behind the names. 

That is what I thought until I was driving in the small city of Cobourg, east of Toronto. 

We turned down one street and came to T-intersection where we had to turn right or left. The street name was University Avenue. 

We have a University Avenue in Kingston and, as you would think, it leads to Queen’s University campus. Likewise, Toronto has a University Avenue and it leads to the main campus of the University of Toronto.

But Cobourg, there is no university in Cobourg. Why in the world would they have a street named University Avenue? 

I thought maybe the town fathers named the street with hopes that one day there would be a university at the end of it. I wondered if maybe they liked the name, thought it sounded impressive and hoped it might attract people to come and move to Cobourg. 

Naming a street without having a reason or a story – that is laughable. 

But then I did some research and found out Cobourg did have a university. Victoria University was founded in 1836, but was relocated to Toronto in 1890 as a College of the University of Toronto. 

So there was a reason for the street name. It wasn’t a scheme of the forefathers of Cobourg to attract new residents to their city. 

I just think that in the last 132 years since the university left that maybe they might have thought of renaming the street.

Here’s the thing: People who believe in Jesus Christ are called Christians. What “Christian” means is someone who follows Jesus. So if you are a Christian, be sure that if someone followed you they would be able to find Christ. Otherwise you shouldn’t be called by that name.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What needs to be reevaluated in your life right now? Leave your comments and questions below.

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I Wish I hadn’t Called Him That Name

This post is from February, 2013. Sometimes I like to post an old article. I hope you enjoy.

When it comes to naming things, some people have a gift and others don’t. I’ve met people who I’ve wanted to call by another name. I don’t know why, except they don’t look like, say, a “Ross” to me.  

I wish I hadn't called him that name

Some people get creative with names – and others wish they hadn’t – like Frank Zappa’s kid, “Moon Unit” or more recently, Beyonce’s child, “Blue Ivy”. You have to wonder what they were thinking or were on when they named their children! 

But it’s not just baby names. Some companies choose weird names for their products, like pretty much anything in an Ikea store. When I ordered a “Billy”, I didn’t know that was a book shelf. But since having “Billy” in my home for years now, we’ve had some good conversations.

New Zealand has a drink that is called “SARS”. I’m not sure I’d like to order one of them. But when the “SARS” virus was breaking out all over the world, sales of the drink went up. People thought it was a cure. After all, the can did say it had a flavour burst.

There are times, though, when there is something about a name that either fits the person or describes the item very well.

Our turtle is named Winston, and if you saw him you would think the name really suits him. It was my daughter who came up with that name and I think she showed lots of creativity. However, that wasn’t always the case with my kids and names.

Karlie had a stuffed animal that she called “Monkey”. Fortunately, it was a stuffed monkey and not a stuffed elephant or giraffe. Mike, well, he really got creative with two teddy bears that he had: one he called “little Ted” and the other one “big Teddy”. At least we never got their names mixed up; there was a noticeable size difference.  

Speaking of getting mixed up, there was a time I played hockey with a guy who had two first names. I don’t mean his name was hyphenated, or he went by his middle name instead of his first; I mean his last name was a popular first name – Mike Dale. 

One can’t be held responsible for calling someone who has two first names by their last name. It’s easy to get confused. I had been calling for this guy to pass me the puck and was wondering why he wasn’t sliding it over. 

Finally, he skated to me and said, “Hey! Stop calling me by my last name. How’d you like me to call you by your last name?” Actually, I didn’t care. The thing was, I thought I HAD been calling him by his first name … and I thought he kind of looked like a Dale instead of a Mike.

A good name helps us identify the person or helps us have a good idea of what the product is or does. 

Here’s the thing: God has many names that describe characteristics about Him – Jehovah Rapha (the God who heals) or Jehovah Jireh (the Lord will provide) or Jehovah Shammah (the God who is There). If I keep in mind these descriptive names that identify a quality about Him, I will probably seek Him more quickly when I have a particular need. 

That’s Life

Paul

Question: What names for God do you keep in your mind?  Leave your comment below.

Subscribe to my blog and receive posts like this one to your email twice weekly.

by

I Wish I hadn’t Called Him That Name

When it comes to naming things, some people have a gift and others don’t. I’ve met people who I’ve wanted to call by another name. I don’t know why, except they don’t look like, say, a “Ross” to me.

Some people get creative with names – and others wish they hadn’t – like Frank Zappa’s kid, “Moon Unit” or more recently, Beyonce’s child, “Blue Ivy”. You have to wonder what they were thinking or were on when they named their children!

IMG_1268

But it’s not just baby names. Some companies choose weird names for their products, like pretty much anything in an Ikea store. When I ordered a “Billy”, I didn’t know that was a book shelf. But since having “Billy” in my home for years now, we’ve had some good conversations.

New Zealand has a drink that is called “SARS”. I’m not sure I’d like to order one of them. But when the “SARS” virus was breaking out all over the world, sales of the drink went up. People thought it was a cure. After all, the can did say it had a flavour burst.

There are times, though, when there is something about a name that either fits the person or describes the item very well.

Our turtle is named Winston, and if you saw him you would think the name really suits him. It was my daughter who came up with that name and I think she showed lots of creativity. However, that wasn’t always the case with my kids and names.

Karlie had a stuffed animal that she called “Monkey”. Fortunately, it was a stuffed monkey and not a stuffed elephant or giraffe. Mike, well, he really got creative with two teddy bears that he had: one he called “little Ted” and the other one “big Teddy”. At least we never got their names mixed up; there was a noticeable size difference.

Speaking of getting mixed up, there was a time I played hockey with a guy who had two first names. I don’t mean his name was hyphenated, or he went by his middle name instead of his first; I mean his last name was a popular first name – Mike Dale.

I don’t think one can be held responsible for calling someone who has two first names by their last name. It’s easy to get confused. I had been calling for this guy to pass me the puck and was wondering why he wasn’t sliding it over.

Finally, he skated to me and said, “Hey! Stop calling me by my last name. How’d you like me to call you by your last name?” Actually, I didn’t care. The thing was, I thought I HAD been calling him by his first name … and I thought he kind of looked like a Dale instead of a Mike.

A good name helps us identify the person or helps us have a good idea of what the product is or does.

Here’s the thing: God has many names that describe characteristics about Him – Jehovah Rapha (the God who heals) or Jehovah Jireh (the Lord will provide) or Jehovah Shammah (the God who is There). If I keep in mind these descriptive names that identify a quality about Him, I will probably seek Him more quickly when I have a particular need.

That’s Life

Paul

Question: What names for God do you keep in your mind?  Leave your comment below.