Reflecting on my middle name this week at the suggestion of Mama Kat.
My grandmother’s name was Ruth May. In her honor my own parents chose the name May as my middle name. For many years I was horrified by the ancient sound of this name. It brought to mind old ladies gathered in stuffy parlors tatting and sipping tea. Having grown older and wiser, as an adult I realized the name May is optimistic and lovely. Also, it turns out there is nothing wrong with tatting or tea.
My grandmother was full of life and good humor. She possessed a quick wit, and she loved her family. She played the piano beautifully and made sugar cookies of great renown. Her skills as a seamstress were quite impressive as was her ability to make braided wool rugs that filled a room. She was quite a woman, and my parents bestowed on me an honor when they gave me her name.
A long, long time ago Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned the following…
The word May is a perfumed word…It means youth, love, song, and all that is beautiful in life.
May. It also hints at what could be, encouraging the soul to soar and dreams to be without limits.
So, thank you, Mom and Dad, for naming me May: a name I shall try to live up to.
A perfumed word – I love that! And I love how some “old” names are coming back around again. My new granddaughter’s name is Stella (after My grandmother) and a new grandson on the way, in the works, is going to be named Henry.
And May? A beautiful name, indeed.
Ooh I love the lasting power and beauty of the name May. I love it for a first or middle name. I would use it myself if I have another baby girl although Scarlett’s middle name is June… that could seem a bit corny.
Love the quote!
Beautiful name. That was my maternal grandmother’s middle name too, only spelled differently…Ollie Mae. She died when I was only four so I never really got the chance to get to know her.
The name May is a lovely name. When I think of it I think of big purplish-blue flowering Hydrangeas blooming during the summer at my neighbors house. Her name was May, and her grandkids and I spent many summer days in the shade of those things.
Hi from MK’s
May is a beautiful name. Plus, the word ‘may’ is a helping verb, and you helped raise three children to be successful adults. That’s pretty awesome.
I think May is a lovely name! My grandmother was named Mae, but I was told at some point she started spelling it May.
Visiting from Mama Kat’s
Interesting. Wonder why she changed the spelling. My nephew named his daughter Eleanor Mae in keeping with our family tradition. And I thought it was interesting they changed the spelling as well.