The other day I was arguing with my pardner about my name. Really, in this instance, I was bemoaning the fact that since my mother — Constance Jean Lewis Miller — died, the number of people who call me "Annie" is dwindling. In fact, only a handful of folks still use this name when referring to me, and only under special circumstances: when they are asserting their relationship to me, when they are feeling playful and/or especially loving toward me, and/or when they are the recipients of my adoration.
In case you were wondering . . . Losing a name is a big deal! It's like losing a major piece of one's identity. And really, I didn't lose it; it was stolen from me by a band of thieves who go by the names of Silence, Memory, Heartbreak, and Ciao. These badass bandits not only took "Annie" from me but ripped-off years of my existence, my youth, part of my personality!
Things are a little spooky sometimes.
Shortly after this discussion about my name, my daughter — Cecelia Helen Barrett — informed me that my granddaughter — Orion Constance Barrett-Sims — is calling me "Nanny." I, of course, am tickled, as not only is it nice to be called something by those that we love, but "Nanny" — especially from the mouth of babes — sounds very much like "Annie!" Making this appellation all the more meaningful is the fact that Orion's middle name — Constance — honors my mother, Cecelia's grandmother, and the last person to consistently call me "Annie" (Cecelia's middle name — Helen — honors my grandmother, btw, and my middle name — Lewis — recalls my maternal surname).
Orion's use of language is coming on fast and furious. Every single day, she has a new word at her command, and her developing fine motor skills include those tasks dependent on her lips and tongue; her pronunciation and her enunciation improve daily as well. Days after first hearing "Nanny" from Orion's perfect rosebud lips, I could have sworn that she called me an outright "Annie." I acknowledge my desperation to hear this name again, and I admit the possibility that my ears may be deceiving me, but O! Dear darling Orion Constance! Please, O please, continue to call me Nanny and/or Annie or maybe, for the moment at least, "Nannie Annie!"
Helen, Constance, Lewis, Connie, Ann, Lewis, Annie, Cecelia, Helen, Cece, Orion, Constance . . . These are the names of strong, beautiful, intelligent females! I am awed by the association established and reinforced by these shared names!
