Legacy

We have a naming tradition in our family that goes back five generations. We are all "Jean"...in fact, we even included our cat. As a kid I was not a big fan of my middle name. To be honest as far as phonetics go it is not my favourite name. It is just a bit plain and abrupt for my taste. But I have grown to love the name and especially what it represents. We now have a little club which is currently three generations strong (four if you count the cat). The youngest card carrying member is turning four in a couple of days. Her middle name was chosen before her first name. There was never any doubt about it and she is definitely living up to the name.


So what is a "Jean"? It is someone who likes everything to be "nice", someone who knows how to tell a good story, someone who chooses to laugh everyday, someone who loves family, someone who believes in girl power...oh and also, obviously someone who is cute!

The name is actually just an emblem for the strong legacy that has been passed down in our family. I think my "Grandma Jean" should be credited with the solidarity of the club. Her own mother died when she was eight years old yet she proved to be a powerful mother even without her own living example. Grandma's 4'11 frame was full of strength and grace. She has been gone for over eleven years but I can still feel her impact on my life. Every time I taste a cup of tea that is just exactly right, I think of my grandma. She had so many great stories and she was never afraid to tell them twice. She was the plucky protagonist in most of her stories and she endearingly always painted her children in a good light. Less fortunate characters of these tales often included old room-mates from nursing school and her brothers and sisters, while grandpa was often cast as the comedic relief.

I miss those stories which I can remember sitting on the couch as a teenager and thinking, "Oh, not that one again!" Now, I would jump at the chance to hear her spin a yarn again..or even to just hear her voice. She left a legacy with her stories. Family is important. Cherish friends. Laugh (hardest at yourself or your husband). So I sit and spin my own yarns in a new millenium and in a new medium. But the message is the same.

So you could say that I am proud to be a "Jean". Thankful for what my grandma taught us, for what my mom is still teaching me and for all that little R has already learnt. Funny story: when R was just two and we used to call her "R Jean" she heard it as "R Genius" and that is what she started calling herself!