What's in a name?

I’m not fond of my name.  My mother loves it, but for me it has been a source of confusion, frustration and embarrassment over the years.  A masculine name for a female in the ‘50s led me to boys’ PE and an invitation to join the Army before women in the military were cool. 

The spelling has been a nightmare.  There is no “i” in it anywhere.  People insist there should be.  My mother insists not.  (My middle name is no better, but that’s another story.)  It has been misspelled by nearly everybody, including my father once and the jeweler who engraved my wedding ring.  I wore that ring for 10 years before it was replaced. 

I use the name as little as possible, only when I must be identified.  I much prefer the monikers that associate me with my favorite people…my grandchildren.

My grandmothers were “Grandmother” and “Gammy.”  Gammy lived near so I suspect her nickname came before I could say grandmother properly.  And I do recall that Grandmother was insistent on being Grandmother.  My own mother tried that.  My daughter had other ideas.  So she is “Maury,” the only explanation being “because I love her.”  Good enough.

I started out as Grandma, but Ashley had two grandmas so I am Grandma J.

Then the dog, the huge lab/Rottweiler christened me “Grammy.”  Yes, dogs do talk or at least people talk for them.  I’ve been Grammy ever since.  To everyone.  I love that one.

Then Kayla painted a sign that says “Gramsy.”  Don’t know how that happened, but it also is pretty cool.

She also calls me Grandmother sometimes when she wants to be emphatic or really get my attention. 

Then here comes four-year-old Daniel, an entity all of his own.  He is autistic and until recently has been non-verbal.  He is coming along very well, but he refuses to say grandma.  We have prompted and encouraged, but haven’t gotten much that sounds like grandma.  He did say “banana” one time, but I’m not taking that.  He calls me “Hubba.”  Maybe it’s an amalgamation of banana and grandma, but it’s mine alone.  And I really love that one.

Now, if they’d only put it on my driver’s license!