Ode to a Name

Okay, this is really in response to Niki's request for baby girl names. But, really, in response to what some of her friends said--I guess I'm still thinking about it! I know, kind of crazy, but I just have to respond.

I have a cousin with my same name, first and last. She was a few years older (3 or 4?) and lived in another town, but I always thought it was cool to have a cousin with the same name. I met up with her at Grandpa's funeral, and she commented to me--I always loved having a cousin with the same name! And this last weekend, I was in Idaho visiting Grandma, and saw her again. She said the same thing, again.

So, to all of you who think you can't use a name because somebody else already has--poo-poo on that silly notion. Use it! If you like a name, use it. There are millions of people out there with your same name (okay, maybe not you sweet Dwynne, but there has to be somebody else with that same name!).

Names mean something to the person giving the name, and then as time goes on, to the person so named. (Way too many "names" in that sentence, sorry.) I always hated my middle name, mainly because I'd never heard it before (Afton), and I had a friend who always called me Sally Afghan. And then there were the people who always came up with, isn't that a town in Wyoming? Did your parents live there or something? Whatever.

Like I said, I never liked that name until I finally came to a reckoning--I knew that my mother had a friend named Afton Nisson and I was named after her. But it never meant much to me until just a few years ago. I was typing my Dad's autobiography and he told the story of Afton. He said that they were living in Bountiful and their neighbors were the Nissons. My mom made a great friend of Afton and evidently they spent a lot of time together. I know Afton was quite a bit older than my mom and she worked alongside my mother doing many things, like canning. Dad mentioned eating ice cream, too (but then ice cream was always a big part of what made my dad happy). I don't remember the whole story, but it finally hit me that Afton was a very important person in my mother's life. I was born a few years later, but she still loved that neighbor enough to want to honor her by giving her new baby a dear friend's name. Wow. I finally got it. I may not even like the name, but that isn't what is important at all. It is special to me because it came from a very special person, so of course I like it.

Sally came from my big brother Ron. He was in the first grade and had a girlfriend named Sally. He was very insistent. Mom thought that maybe someday I wouldn't want to go by Sally, but that I'd want to change to Afton. Well, that's not going to happen, but I am thankful to my mother that she thought enough of me to name be after her sweet friend.

Okay, now for names. I was thinking of the little girls in Primary (as well as others)--Lilly, Kailey, Jessica, Rachel, Emily, Katrina, Cassidy, Cambria, Cierra, Jaelene, Kiana, Shanna, Julia, McKenna, Kelli, Autumn (she's a mom), Paige, Peyton, Sara, Sharolyn, Moira, Kella, Brooklyn, Brianna, Jeni, Erin, Daphne, Amy, Eve.

Hmm, I had more, but now, well, you know how it is. When it comes down to the minute, you just forget!