Alva Review-Courier -

Our most interesting Christmas present this year was a 7-week-old Australian shepherd and Great Pyrenees puppy. We are presently trying to come up with a suitable name.

I am hopelessly old fashioned (and happy to be so), but I think names should mean something. Names should do more than identify. Names should be prophetic, give direction and explain the character of the being that carries it.

Names today are creative. Parents are imaginative in naming their children. While these names may be masterfully devised, filled with rhythmic and poetic qualities, there is no meaning behind the name. Th...