What’s in a (Name)?

Hi! My name is Cindy not (Cindy).
Please don’t refer to me as a parenthesis
where I sit between 2 half smiles or two half frowns.

It feels like I barely matter, sandwiched in-between,
or left overs that weren’t wanted,
not good enough to stand alone.

An afterthought with two curved brackets,
a dash or a comma, a word or a phrase
that needs no explanation.

But, I have a name. My name is Cindy
not in parentheses or with an explanation mark
to be overemphasized; just Cindy.

What’s a name other than what your parents gave you?
No wonder my mom gets mad I go by Cindy since
she named me Cynthia. Sorry, mom!

Happy Fun Fri-Yayyy Everyone!

This poem arose when my sister in law asked for editing help with my father in law’s obituary. When I read it and my name was in parenthesis, I had a strong reaction to it even though it can be customary to do in the obituary of the deceased’s children’s wives or husbands, so I looked it up and send her my preference and thus this poem was born.

It’s amazing how as writers we use every moment, comma, parenthesis or song, sound or incident to write about. Funny my name was in parenthesis when my mother in law died but I didn’t notice so why would it matter now? I haven’t a clue but we are always changing and evolving in our preferences.

She made some of the changes and it was suppose to run today but it was already online and people were commenting on it with such heartfelt messages especially from his boss’s that truly encapsulated his goodness.

It was blown up and I could see I missed something and the spelling edits that were supposed to be made weren’t changed, including my daughter Bryana that is spelled with one n, not 2. And then there is Giuliana which has 1 n not twi. I’m not even going to comment on that when it’s most often spelled with a J and u follows not i. I think it’s a parent problem. 😂. I should have run it through spellcheck, my bad. And I am still a parenthesis. 😂.
By the time I noticed the final draft wasn’t sent to me, it was too late to edit she said as there was a cut off time. I don’t know about you, but I edit my drafts about 10 times and then after I publish them at least 3 more. The good news with our blog is that we can always edit even though our email followers never see the edits and it’s one and done. Publications are so final and you don’t get a second chance.

It’s worth some thought when you are publishing your next book that you painstakingly edit until you’re blue in the face and still have some minor errors. The good news about books is the next run of books can be changed but it’s better to get it done right to begin with but it happens.

If you would like to see my father in laws obituary by any chance you can see it HERE in the San Francisco Chronicle. My sister in law did a great job sharing the essence of Papa.

What about you, would you prefer to be in parenthesis or just have your name listed?

Peter James Georgakas

The name Peter originates from the Greek word petros, meaning “rock” or “stone,” signifying strength and reliability. It is historically significant as the name given by Jesus to the Apostle Simon, symbolizing him as a foundation for the Church. It also commonly refers to the phrasal verb “peter out,” meaning to diminish or come to an end.

Key Aspects of the Name Peter:

Origin: Derived from the Greek Petros or Petra, and the Aramaic Cephas.
Meaning: “Rock” or “stone”.
Biblical Significance: Jesus renamed his disciple Simon to Peter (Cephas), stating he would build his church upon this rock.
Cultural Impact: Widely used as a male given name and associated with Saint Peter.

Have a wonderful weekend and thank you truly for all of your kind condolence’s, hugs, love, blessings and prayers as we hold him in our hearts. I have some more stories born out of his final moments and discussions I’ll most likely share at a later time.

Love and hugs,