names

Names. Interesting how it works out.

When I want to tease Miriam I call her by all names I can think of quickly: Miriam Marie Spears Coffin Wilson Griffith or such. The fact that half of those names belong to my side of the family makes it more laughable.

When our first daughter was born we named her after her two grandmothers: Arline Marie. I still like that combination and it helps us remember our mothers who both died way too young (57 and 65).

Our 2nd daughter we decided the name should rhyme with Arline Marie, so we came up with Lora Lea, after no one in particular, though there was a civil war song that was on a record we listened to a lot named “ Aura Lea”. The tune was the same as Elvis used for “Love Me Tender.”

The first time we got together after Lora was born we got pregnant again, so Miriam birthed two daughters 10 ½ months apart. I still the look and comment from my mother: “David, what did you do?” “It’s obvious what I did, mom.”

We struggled on a name, deciding on the middle name Cheri’ first. We wanted to use my grandmother’s name May since May Cheri’ would be “my sweetheart”, but May alone didn’t ring well. So from no where in particular we came up with Deanna Cheri’.

I was was a lot better at loving my daughters than on planning them, so when #4 came along we were running out of rhyming names. She ended up Linda Glee.

Decades later I enjoy those name combinations. Never regretted them at all.

Now, let’s see about the next generation: David James (after HIS two grandfathers) Benjamin Ryan, Jessica May (grandmother’s name did show up), Matthew Wayne (my middle name is waye); Alan Thomas; Andrew James, Brianna May (grandma would be proud); Amy Lynn; Joshua Dennis; Griffith Curtis (griffith is my family name); and Emily Blue.

Those are in birth order of the mothers!

Hmm. Griffith, Wilson, Christensen, Watson, Crawford, Spears, Coffin, Scott, the list is long and colorful.

Names.