What's Your Name?

At the start of each school year, I panic a bit when I think of the hundreds of names I must learn and relearn. I am notorious for calling a younger sibling by an older sibling's name. I have a difficult time telling the school's numerous sets of twins apart. Getting someone's name correct brings acknowledgment and acceptance for that person. It validates the name and shows that another person is interested in him or her. When I greet a child in the hall (or better yet, outside the school setting) by name, the smile on the child's face gets brighter. It means a lot to others to be addressed by name.

My creative and caring friend David brought this bookmark to me yesterday, expressing the letters of my name with images of things about me: wearing an Alphabet Forest crown at the State Fair, holding one of my famous Condo Cakes, a book dedicated to me, a turtle to express my school's mascot, and a quilt that demonstrates my love of quilting. I'm going to try this with other friends' names!