I am named after my paternal grandmother, Hope, who was a lovely woman.
But, she whined. A lot. She would complain about almost everything and would hold on to past hurts and injustices with unwavering determination. She argued with her husband and when he passed away she argued with her children and then in her last days she argued with her nurse.
My mother–a ray of blinding sunshine–recognized the pessimistic character of my grandmother right away. And so when my father suggested that the daughter growing in her belly be named after her she recoiled in horror.
“Why don’t we give her a combination of my name and your mother’s name?” she had offered. This conjunction produced a name that my father argued would make me sound like a singer. In his mind, that was not a respectable occupation for a woman. But, my mother–a lover of the arts–ignored his rantings and decided unilaterally that that would be my name.
My father had other plans.
After my mother had given birth prematurely and was recuperating in hospital (and I was soaking in my first month in a glass box) he went, on his own, to issue my birth certificate.
“I did it!” I imagine him saying. “She has a name!”
“What? Without me? What did you name her?”
“Elpida, Zoi, Hara” my father must have answered matter of factly.
“You gave her THREE names? AND your mother’s name?” I imagine my mother’s voice rising.
He then explained.
“Elpida (Hope) after my mother who is a difficult woman, yes. But, the other two names will counteract that effect. She will have a long life (Zoi) filled with joy (Hara).”
While I have never been crazy about my first name (because it’s not actually Hope), I have loved the other two infinitely.
***
Today is the one day of the year that I dread more than any other because fifteen years ago today the telephone rang and a series of events began that changed my life forever.
Today is the one day of the year that I never know how to feel or what to do. Do I have to be sad? Do I have to cry even if the tears don’t come? How should I commemorate the day my father died?
This year I decided that I would tell the story of how my father gave me my three names. I would tell the story because even though he is not here and even though I am not going through the easiest of times at the moment, it is still a story that makes me smile.
I smile because my father gave me two middle names–that I can turn to again and again, that I can repeat like a mantra, Life, Joy, Zoi, Hara, Life, Joy, Zoi, Hara–as if he knew that I would need them. He gave me two middle names filled with so much hope that it teaches me something I never had the opportunity to learn.
I am my father’s daughter.
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What a lovely post Hope. I feel your love for your father in it. =)
Thank you for sharing! I never know what to do with myself on the days that mark the deaths of my mother and father, but I usually try to do something that they would have enjoyed. That way, I’m not dwelling on the past, but instead, focusing on being alive.
i for one, LOVE love love your first name. so very pretty.
thinking of you today.
I love all three of your names. And I think this is a great way to commemorate this anniversary.
It’s a lovely story, one that makes me believe your father was a lovely – and sneaky – man.
That’s a truly gorgeous story.
This was a very sweet post. I think it’s great that you have three names. They’re all very beautiful.
What a cute story :-) I love all three names. They go so well together. How clever of your father to choose those names and satiate I imagine his mother and your mother.
I think the best thing one can do is just like you did today, retell the good, funny stories that remind you of who he was. It is sad that he passed when you were so young. May his memory be everlasting.
My own father and mother have passed and hearing or retelling stories from the past reminds me of who they were and ensures that I will never forget them.
What a beautiful story and a beautiful name!
GREAT story! I love the combo of the second 2 names together: Zohara. Very romantic.
Such a sweet story.
However you feel today, just soak it in. There is no “right” or “wrong” reaction.
*hugs*
I love your three names. And here’s to your father, today.
Oh what pretty names! And I’m so sorry about your dad… I mean I know it’s not like it just happened, but it’s still sad.
And now I feel like I might blog about my own name.
I am tearing up right now.
What a lovely gift to be able to remember him by every day.
Thanks for sharing such a sweet story xx
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