Practically

adverb prac·ti·cal·ly \ˈprak-ti-k(ə-)lē\

: almost or nearly

: in a way that is reasonable or logical : in a practical way*

 

I love words.

I love the way they convey my meaning, especially in writing.  I love their sounds, and I like the shape of each letter.  Form letters into words and language, string them together, and the result is almost miraculous.

When we communicate face-to-face or in writing, you may come close to understanding me, and I may come close to understanding you.  

That’s good.

Almost mystical, it's even better when our words reach out and embrace each other as we interact, igniting our empathy, so we have complete understanding.

Wow.

In particular, I love it when words have more than one meaning, like the one above.  Then I love taking that word and driving it to a different destination.

So as I struggled with ideas for a new name for this blog and feeling in my gut the lack of life in each mental offering, I decided to ask a few friends (some creative, some not, but all that I view as pragmatic) for thoughts.  The one brought forth by my friend Suzy seemed perfect from the beginning, because that’s just what she did.  She took the word practically and pointed it toward an unusual coordinate: Laura.

This spoke to me.

In my day-to-day doings, I often veer to the right at the practical fork in the road.  I’m a fairly down-to-earth person, after all.  Just ask my husband Craig how levelheaded he thinks I am. 

If I swerve to the left, the same word indicates a position, as in almost or nearly at/to a particular place.

Then Suzy stretches the usage a bit.

So when I heard the word paired with my name, it was only a moment or two before I thought about the sanctification process, which is the ongoing spiritual growth I experience because of Christ.  I’m not there yet, but I’m growing and changing and becoming more like Jesus.

And as I do, spilling words on a page as individual beats from my heart, I’m becoming more like me—the person God sees covered by His son’s sacrifice.

Laura and only Laura.

 

*"Practically." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 3 Sept. 2015. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/practically>.

Comments

[Laura]

Well, I should give credit where it's due, Suzy, and it was definitely due! Thanks for your help. xx :)

[Suzy Tarnowski]

Thanks for the shout out!