I have an unusual request. I need help picking a new middle name for myself! Let me explain…
When I was born my parents couldn’t agree on a name. One liked the name [name_f]Amy[/name_f], the other preferred [name_u]Lisa[/name_u], so they stuck them together to make [name_f]Amy[/name_f] [name_u]Lisa[/name_u]. Personally I never really cared for the combination, they just didn’t seem to flow well (especially with my 2-syllable last name). And because no one ever actually used my middle name when referring to me (they always just called me [name_f]Amy[/name_f]) I never really formed any attachment to my middle name. When I got married, I dropped [name_u]Lisa[/name_u] and took my maiden name as my legal middle name. Problem solved.
Fast forward 15 years, and I am now returning to my maiden name. I’ll save you the gory details, but suffice to say that the marriage turned out to be a total nightmare, and it ended when he left me (and our two children) for a much younger woman he met in a bar, a week after I was diagnosed with breast cancer. [name_f]Awesome[/name_f]. There was also an ugly court situation involving CPS after my then-4yo revealed that there had been episodes of physical abuse while on visits with his dad. The past three years have been grueling, and while I don’t really want to turn this into a bitch fest, I’ll just say that I have been through So. Much. Crap.
BUT… after a long dark slog, my life is finally on an upswing! I am cancer-free. In [name_f]May[/name_f] I will be graduating from nursing school as valedictorian of my class (which I accomplished while also single parenting my elementary aged children with no local family support and working fulll-time as a frontline healthcare worker, during a pandemic… like I said, it’s been a sh*t show). I have already been offered a job as a school nurse, which will allow me to enjoy summers off with my children, and it looks like I’ll even be able to afford buying a little home for us. And after 3 long years of him fighting me tooth and nail for every little detail, the divorce is just about to be finalized. For the first time in a very long time, I’m feeling pretty darned hopeful for the future!
So when my lawyer asked me if I wanted a clause put into the divorce decree allowing me to return to my maiden name, I said yes without hesitation. However, I don’t want to go back to my original middle name. I never liked it anyway, and I’m not the same person I was back then. This seems like a good opportunity to mark the beginning of a new chapter in my life. I would like to stick with an “L” name, as a nod to my past with the same initials I once had. But I’d prefer something that flows better with [name_f]Amy[/name_f] and my 2-syllable last name that starts with an R. And I would really like to choose a name with a meaning that honors all that I have been through. Maybe something that has to do with strength, survivor, warrior? [name_u]Or[/name_u] perhaps something more along the lines of rebirth, growth, hope?
I’m sorry this ran on so long, and I realize it may be out of bounds since I’m not actually looking for a baby name. But I’m hoping a few of you name gurus out there might be willing to help me rename myself! Thanks.
and I wish you the best of luck in finding a new name!
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