Mary and Lydia are about as different as 2 sisters can be. They are obviously not identical twins and neither are their personalities. I love them equally and uniquely and they seem to tolerate me pretty well. Mary tends to be more of a morning person. But if she is not ready to get up she is very grouchy. Lydia is pleasant enough in the mornings, but that may be because she stays half asleep until she gets on the bus. Once, when they were in pre-school I went into their room to wake them. I thought I’d be clever and call them the names of two of the dwarfs from the story of Snow White (and yes, I can name all 7). I fell onto their bed and dramatically said “What is this we have here?! I see two dwarfs in this bed…” I looked at Mary and exclaimed “I see Grumpy!” then to Lydia, “And I see Sleepy!” Lydia rolled over slowly and looked at me through sleep-squinted eyes. She stared at me for a few seconds and wryly remarked “And I see Dopey.” Ouch. Where do they get that biting sense of humor? Roy talked to the children Sunday about names. This got me to thinking about names as I listened to my two tell their names. I named them for people in my family; Mary after my mother and Lydia’s middle name, Rebecca, is for my niece, Myra, who shares this middle name. I didn’t know it at the time, but I found out that my great-great grandmother’s name was also Lydia. My mother named me for the Rachel in the Bible. She was terribly unhappy in her marriage and hoped for me to be as dear to a man as Rachel was to Jacob. I still choke on the irony of that a bit. But the name I’m most proud to be called is also a family name. I share it with all of you as brothers and sisters in Christ. Peace and Grace to you, fellow Christians! I’ve enclosed a copy of our family tradition. It’s often tough to follow but it’s what makes us Christians. -Rachel “Be sincere in your love for others. Hate everything that is evil and hold tight to everything that is good. Love each other as brothers and sisters and honor others more than you do yourself. Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying. Take care of God's needy people and welcome strangers into your home. Ask God to bless everyone who mistreats you. Ask him to bless them and not to curse them. When others are happy, be happy with them, and when they are sad, be sad. Be friendly with everyone. Don't be proud and feel that you are smarter than others. Make friends with ordinary people. Don't mistreat someone who has mistreated you. But try to earn the respect of others, and do your best to live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:9-18 (Contemporary English Version)