My Favorite Name - #52Ancestors2018

Now this is truly a challenge.  Not just a favorite but... the most favorite name. There are so many to choose from along the path of a lifetime. A Place, a person, an object. Wow, this is really harder than I thought. But I think I finally have it. You, dear reader, might not think of this as one name but allow me to do it my way this time. My favorite name has taken many shapes over the years, and I have been lucky enough to hear it in many forms. Are you trying to guess what it might be? Ok, I won't keep you in suspense any longer. My favorite name is MOTHER but not just the way you think of it. It can be a word, sometimes a word to identify a particular person in this way or to refer to another person. It can be represented in print or as a reference to a particular person. But it can also be a spoken, an identification, a name, when speaking TO a particular person. It is within that context that I label Mother (in its many forms) as my favorite name.



Although I frequently used this naming word over the years, it was not yet my favorite. It only became my favorite when it was used by some very particular persons. The first of the particular someones appeared in 1957 but I didn't hear the word from her until some time in 1958. The first form I heard it in sounded like 'mama'. That was the first person, and the first moment, when it became my favorite Name.  The speaker of that sound was my first child, my daughter, Caren. It has taken many different forms of the years but that word is still my favorite. It next came from my son, David. He was born in 1959 but I sure I didn't hear it in his voice till 1960. Over the next few years mommy, mom, mother took form but it all meant ME!! And it was different feeling that I had ever had. And in 1962 my third child and second son, Matthew, was born and that wonderful word started in its earliest forms once again, and in a new special voice. Now let's move ahead some ye

Years passed and changes came. The father of Caren, David, and Matthew and I came to the parting of the ways. Life changed. But the importance of that word never changed. I never thought about how it might continue to grow and have additional meanings in my life.

In 1970 I married again and my husband and his three daughters joined with Caren(8th grade), David(6th grade), Matthew(3rd grade) and me to work at becoming a family. Although the other two original parents still had the opportunity for continued loving relations with their own kids, the eight of us all lived together. Ron brought three daughters with him, Cooky (HS freshman), Jody(7th), and Andy (Andrea)(4th grade). These girls have always called me Marianne, but I am generally referred to as Mother2. Time went by and we would meet new people at various times and places. My new girls began to introduce me as 'my mother'. That has always given me great pleasure and good feelings about the relationship we have developed over the years.

All 11 Grandchildren When They Were Young

Once again time went by. Our children grew into adults and the marriages began. And almost all of these marriages began to bring grandchildren into our lives. All if the grandchildren refer to us as Granpa and Granma. I count the sound of the name "Granma" the same way I felt about the word "Mom". How could we be so lucky! Now we have 11 grandchildren and I had an additional favorite word.! Not only that but all except one family lived very close to us, almost a miracle in this day and age. We are back to passing of time. It is hard for me to believe how old these grandchildren have become. The age of marriage has come for a few of them. Two are now married, one is engaged and another is living with a lovely young woman.

The First Two Great-Grandchildren

The first child to marry was Alex, our oldest grandson. He and our grand-daughter-in-law do not live near by but not horribly far. Currently they live in St. Louis but that will not be their final home. They however have provided another form of my favorite word. They have brought two great-children to become a part of our lives. So my favorite word form had to grow again. But a bit differently.  Great-Grandmother is much bigger than the mama that Caren, David and Matt were able to say at a young age. What could be an easy combination of letters that our first great-grandchild could easily say? Well, the new name that I love is GGma. And what goes with GGma... GGpa! And that is what our almost 3 year old Dexter calls us and, we hope, what 1 year old Ana will begin to say fairly soon. If I am truly lucky, I might even hear that name from descendants that do not yet exist. Who knows.

One thing I believe. This same name was probably the favorite name of many of my women ancestors before I ever learned what a wonderful name it is. The word mama, mother, mommy and the compound forms that follow are sounds one does not forget. I know we are talking about ancestors. So I will say it this way. The particular ancestor, writing this entry, wants her descendants to know how much they are loved.