Friday, January 3, 2014

W for Wilma

W the initial of my middle name Wilma. A name young Betsy thought ugly and kept secret.

W for Willa Cather, the Great Plaines novelist. My middle namesake. My parents modified it because the name Betsy Willa Fuchs was dangerous if you changed two letters.

W the initial my grandfather Henry W. Fuchs took. He had no middle name and said “W” stood for Hard Work.

W an initial I now embrace and Wilma a name I proudly claim. 

4 comments:

  1. Your claiming "Wilma" got me thinking about Mary Daly's writing and how important it is to face the names we are called--whether a given name or ways that others put us down.

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  2. Martha, I remember Mary Daly from my feminist immersion days and how she impressed me with her great wisdom. I have lost all details of her wisdom except her name. Thanks for the reminder.

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  3. I found this post fascinating, Betsy! Good for you for reclaiming your middle name - however "timidly" - on here! Do you feel like this changes anything internally for you?

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  4. Cathy, I don't think Betsy Wilma is very poetic sounding, but now that I write it here, I realize I'm getting used to it! It did take some courage to finally after all these years see it in writing here publicly on my blog and associated with ME.

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