Hi. My name is Jerimiah Finch Flecthly. The letter J runs in the family. My dad's name is Johnathan and my grandfather's names are Jimmy and Joseph.
This morning I played a round of golf with my dad and granddaddies.
Now, the four of us have gathered at Burger King for lunch.
As we munch away on our Whoopers and fries and sip on our Coca Cola Classics, I speak up.
"Dad, grandpa, and grandpa?" I pipe up.
"Yes?" chorus my pops and both gramps.
"I have a son due in a couple of weeks, " I say, "I've been thinking about what I'm going to name him."
"Oh, please give him a first name that starts with J, " pleads dad as grandpa and grandpa both nod.
"I know how important the letter J is in our family, " I assure them.
"Good, " says Grandpa Jimmy, "The letter J has been part of our heritage as a family for centuries now."
"It's a part of who we are, " agrees Grandpa Joseph.
"It's ultimately your choice as a father how you name your son, " says dad genuinely, "I know from having you that there is no more deeply personal experience than the experience of becoming a father."
"True, " I say, "But I have the utmost respect for our family traditions. For me, that is part of my personalness of becoming a dad."
"So?" asks dad, "What are you going to name your son?"
"Justin, " I declare.
"YES!" roar dad, Grandpa Jimmy, and Grandpa Joseph.
"The name Justin means just and fair, " I explain, "I want my son to grow up to be a person who is just and fair. That's going to be a major priority in how I raise him."
Next nanosecond, dad, Grandpa Jimmy, and Grandpa Joseph all smile at me.
"That's wonderful, " says Grandpa Joseph, "You're going to raise Justin to play fairly even it means losing and to never cheat."
"Yes, " I confirm.
"You going to teach your son not to greedy, to never take more than his fair share, " adds Grandpa Jimmy.
"That's right, " I confirm.
"Most importantly, " says dad seriously, "I know you're going to teach Justin to always be honest and always be truthful, even in cases when it is not in his self-interest to do so."
"That's that biggite, " I say firmly, "I'm going to teach Justin that, if you see someone drop a twenty dollar bill in the street and realize they don't know they've dropped it, you alert him or her and return the twenty dollar bill to its rightful owner rather than keeping it for yourself. "
"That's a fantastic example, " says dad approvingly, "It's a great example of how to be just and fair."
'You know, " I say thoughtfully, "I chose the name Justin because it means just and fair, but the first four letters of Justin are just."
"What a fantastic name, " says dad approvingly, "The name Justin represents our values of justness and fairness while keeping the letter J tradition alive in our family for another generation."
"It's a win-win, " I say contently, "I can't wait for Justin Finch Flecthly to come into this world."
And with that, the four of us resume eating our Whoppers and fries and sipping our Coca Cola classics, all four of us quietly reflecting on keeping the legacy of the letter J alive in our family and on our values of justness and fairness.
"See you soon, Justin Finch Flecthly, " I finally exclaim.