Today's obits list a woman with the middle name Independence. Died July 5, 2006, born 85 years ago on July 4. Good thing she wasn't born on Feb. 2 or Dec. 7--although, come to think of it, Pearl Harbor Day didn't exist 85 years ago. On Sept. 11, 2001, one of my colleagues had planned a birthday party for his small child, and then of course he had to hold the party anyway because otherwise the terrorists would have won, but he pulled the blinds shut so the neighbors would not be appalled by the clear signs of childlike revelry. If hosting a child's birthday party on Sept. 11 seems shocking, imagine having something like "World Trade Center Attack" or "War on Terror" worked into your name.
Aside from my birth, nothing of any importance happened on my birthday, and that's not a bad thing. While a name like Independence might make an interesting conversation starter, it would have to get tiresome explaining it to people. Then again, while the name Independence might get old, the concept never wears out. So three cheers for Independence!
Do you suppose they'll have fireworks at the funeral?
3 comments:
Thanks for the laugh to start my day. In fact, you should know, I'm often grateful for the laughs you give me whatever time of day.
My aunt was born the Jan. 5 following the attack on Pearl Harbor. My grandfather was all in favor of naming her Pearl Harbor - but my grandma won and thus my aunt was dubbed Movita Sue. My grandfather, still wanting to show his patriotism and having lost the name battle, decided to enlist in the Navy and avenge the attack on Pearl Harbor. That, and given the fact that my aunt was immediately nicknamed "Sis," probably had my grandma rethinking Pearl Harbor as a name after all.
Mount St. Helens erupted on my eleventh birthday.
Now, I had a bit of an odd upbringing. When I was upset by a thunderstorm on my birthday, my grandmother told me not to worry, it was just that Thor wanted to celebrate my birthday. So when the mountain erupted, I felt that the Greeks were getting into the picture, and Vulcan was celebrating my birthday. I still feel quite an affinity to the mountain. One of my most prized possessions is a vase made of Mt. St. Helens glass (ceramics made from the ash the mountain spewed when she erupted).
Maybe, if I ever have a daughter, I'll name her St. Helen.
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