Living up to Your Name

With the up coming birth of my third grand child the topic of names have ruled most of our conversations. I put my request in early and to my amazement my name suggestion was promptly dismissed. I'm big on names. I believe you will become whatever your names suggest. As a child I rode the bus with my siblings and we all made fun of "little Aurthur". He was this little kid with big glasses and carried a huge plaid satchel. The biggest thing about Aurthur was his satchel. He was so little in fact that the bus driver would often pass him up all together. In unison the whole bus would shout "you forgot Aurthur!". He lived up to his name.
My youngest son was great at shooting three pointers when it came to basketball. He hit so many that everyone began calling him Bird, (for "Larry Bird") the all time three point king. This nickname became his calling card when our team was behind in a game and we needed to score. "Bird" always came to the rescue scoring as much as four three pointers in one game! He lived up to his name.
As a child I often wondered why Mom named all my brothers and sisters very "normal" names like Patti, Debra, Beverly, Sharon, Mike and Jerry and saw fit to name me Ione. What was she thinking? I couldn't even tell you how many times I was teased as a child about my name. "Iown,you own what"?, or the famous I One. Kids would tease me so much I just wanted to change my name to anything besides Ione.
Nicknames were also very big when I was young. Everyone had one. My youngest sister was called Debo. I don't know where that came from. Another sister was named Sneve. My brother although he loves me dearly had his own names for me as we were growing up. "Long nose ape" was his favorite. "Bony Onie" was another. Looking at the picture of me in this blog you will know where that name came from. Because of my dark hair and long nose he often told me I was adopted and no matter how many times Momma told me I wasn't I always had that nagging suspicion he was right. All my other siblings had fair hair and small noses.....could it be true? I did stand out from the others and what about my different name? Somehow through it all I made it to adulthood. The names we give each other stay with us our whole life so be careful of the names you choose. I can remember a very timid tall red headed boy who often cried on the school bus. It wasn't long till everyone started calling him Niagara Falls. Twenty years later I saw his picture and name on a plaque for serving his Country with honor. Somewhere along the way he shed his nickname.
I have come to admire and embraced my given name. As a child I just wanted to fit in but now I am happy to be known for my uniqueness. When my mother told me that my name was Greek and meant lavender colored stone, I thought wow, that's cool! Embrace your name and all it means. It's who you are. So to all the Donna's, Paul's and Susan's or the Apples, Star and Manfred's I hope you embrace your name. Make it your own. I can name some famous people with common names, Betsey Ross comes to mind, as well as Robert Redford,Ben Franklin and Brad Pitt. Then there are your uncommon famous people like Einstein, Mozart and Ludwig. We're all unique in our own name. Parents take your time when it comes to naming your child. Ask yourself would you be able to live with that name. What kind of person will this name stand for. Would I liked to have been named Jane???? At one time in my life I would have answered differently yes, not so today. I like my name. It's unique....like me. Till next time always remember if a loved one or friends give you a nickname it's because you are loved. Aunt Onie