HOW WERE YOU NAMED?

 A while ago, as I’ve previously blogged, one of the daily freebie Kindle books was 1000 Awesome Writing Prompts by Ryan Andrew Kinder. I posted a blog about what the second prompt prompted in me. Another interesting prompt was this: how were you named?

My father was a musician: pianist, song writer, music librarian. He loved beautiful melodies and he and my mother wanted me to be named for one of his favorites: Aura Lee. (“Aura Lee, Aura Lee, maid with golden hair.” Well, I certainly did have the golden hair.) But the family powers that be objected strenuously, and I remember my mom saying that some folks at that time thought it strange. I suppose it would be the same for parents today who wanted to name their girl Hepsiba or Hermione. My parents thought about it, compromised, and named me Laura Lee.

I’m guessing at this, but I think that my father’s mother had something to do with the name change: her name was Laura. Aura Lee was close, but not close enough, and my grandmother did rule the roost. Being that my grandmother’s name was Laura, and my parents didn’t want to get into the business of “Big Laura” and “Little Laura”, they called me Lee.

Lee is the name I have used most of my life to family, friends and co-workers. I was Lee Lee to my mother, and now only my cousin Bill still remembers that, much to my pleasure. My brother calls me Leebus, and I love that. I remain Laura to doctors, dentists and bankers, and to anyone who doesn’t really know me. I’ll answer to any and all of the above mentioned names.

Interesting note: I was baptized with the name Lawrence. At that time the Roman Catholic Church was very strict about the baptismal names for children, and there was no Saint Laura, much less Lee. Today you can have your child baptized with any name under the sun and the church hardly blinks or questions it at all. My how times have changed.