Becoming My True Name
I have always hated my name. That sounds harsh; it is. But it's also true. I can remember criticizing my mom for the choice, and often declaring what would have been 'a better name' for me. To this day, I am not entirely sure how she endured without ever making me feel guilty for the distasteful critique I repeatedly hurled at her throughout the years...but I am thankful for her wisdom and patience in my journey, despite my sometimes 'thorned' ignorance. "What you call someone or something is powerful...[it] affects their ability to become who they were meant to be." Born Jennifer Nicole, I hated being simply another 'Jennifer'... Jennifer became the single most popular female name in the United States between 1970-1984...imagine how many of us there are out there! Case and point, even today, there are FOUR Jennifer's in my MSW program alone! Anyways, I hated it for being ordinary . I hated it for being meaningless (though, it has never