8h • Writing Sparks
What's in a name?
Hi friends--
Our own names are some of the most magic words we'll ever utter. What does your name mean to you??
I'm excited to share that my new name is officially Valley Jane! Here's a piece I wrote in celebration:
As of July 6, 2026, by the power vested in the circuit court of Henrico County and the Commonwealth of Virginia, my new name is officially…. Valley Jane.
Farewell to the final 4— Cecelia Yane-Smith Haggard — each of which made me, formed me, transformed me, and now with the blessing of bureaucracy, are dissolved back into the ether from which they came.
Valley Jane — my first two names—feel light and nimble, without mouth fulls of syllables, contracting hyphens, alphabets of ancestors scrambling around getting their tentacles into everything.
I loved having 6 names! Each one with its own beautiful story. But even the most beautiful stories change.
The sensation of excising 4 names is not unlike the sensation of chopping off a few extra feet of dead hair or losing a few extra tons of dead weight, or shaving off a couple of centuries of densely packed time.
There is a lightness, a joy, a relief—and also a grief— that comes with this death knell, this felling of the past, this changing of the guard, this end of an old life composted into the earth, making room for something fresh and new.
I feel a power and a magic in Valley Jane—the first two names given to me by my mother. Valley for the Shenandoah where I was conceived and Jane, the name my mother felt signified every woman.
So here I am again, and at last: Valley Jane!
And of course, it’s time to make the official announcement that Cosmo has a new name, too!
Introducing Prince COSMO JANE, Emotional Support Dragon to the Queen!
_________________________________________________________________________________________
What does your name mean to you????
1
0 comments
What's in a name?
Suggested communities
Powered by