Chapter 2 
There she is....Baby "Kathryn" just as I described "full of life!" Isn't she just adorable? She's so cute she should have been the Gerber baby!
Or wait....is she really baby "Kathryn" maybe it's "Hilma" or maybe not???"
After Grandma Ruth (Kathryn's Momma) passed my Sister Betsy was kind enough to send each one of her siblings a relic from the collection of relics that Grandma Ruth had held on to all these years. I guess like many of us she just couldn't bare to part with the reminders of the past. It's funny how you're really not sure what to do with these things. But you hold on to them. Store them away in dusty attics & musty basements for years.... out of respect for the dearly departed. I never realized the secrets that would be revealed from my plain old ordinary brown box that was left on my porch. When I received it in the mail I sat down on the floor & opened it up. All kinds of stuff was in there. Some photos, my Mom's old high school scrapbook, some beautiful doilies that my Great Grandma Rena had crocheted in Sweden decades ago.
Then I noticed this interesting book....
It was old, but in good condition, of course it was, Grandma Ruth was the best at keeping things orderly & preserved. I couldn't stand it anymore...I am a glutton for family history. I thought which one of my relatives baby book is this.....I delicately opened the cover. Written in, oh so neatly, it had the usual new baby info...ya know... how many lbs & ounces, how long the baby was, etc. The date written in was August 24, 1936. I got so excited this was my Mom's baby book! (She had departed so many years before and any glimmer of her life just thrilled me.) OMG I can't believe my Sister sent this to me! Thanks Betsy! I began to read all the entries Grandma Ruth had written in. It listed the baby gifts she had received, the babies first visitors etc etc. Then I noticed something odd my Grandma had written....."It said "Ann Marie smiled today?" and I thought to myself "Ann Marie" who the heck is Ann Marie & whose baby book is this?" Why did my Grandma Ruth write in someone elses baby's book. Wait...Wait....Wait a minute here though, the date listed is my Mom's Birthday....how can this be. You mean to tell me my Mom "Kathryn" was not only named Hilma? She had actually lived her life for days as Ann Marie? Her name was Ann Marie..... long enough for my Grandma to write it in her baby book??? How could they do that to her...how could my Grandpa Martin make my Grandma Ruth.....change her babies name??? Oh poor Momma how could anyone do this to you.
Ok now, everything starts flood back to me. My mind begins to race. I recall the missing name on my Mom's birth certificate, but what really freaks me out a bit is that I....Anne Marie baby Kathryn's daughter....discovered in 1997 that I do not have a name on my birth certificate either. I realized this when I attempting to locate an original copy for my 1st cruise. I had to go through heck trying to get a name on that dang thing.
All my birth certificate ever said was Baby Girl Tamel. How ironic is this?
Well I thought to myself, Momma....well she never said a word....I don't think she even knew that her original name was Ann Marie. Of course she would have said something to one of us! I recall her telling the story over & over again about how her Father Martin wanted to name her "Hilma" she never EVER mentioned anything about Ann Marie. I proceeded to call all of my siblings & question them. "Did Mom ever tell you that her name was originally Ann Marie?" Every one of them said "No....but Grandpa Martin wanted to name her Hilma. Grandma wasn't having it so they settled on Kathryn Ann Hilma Larson" I answered "I know that.... but her original name was Ann Marie, the same as mine!"
How ironic that 31 years later "Baby Kathryn" would give birth to her 3rd daughter & not name her in the hospital....just as Grandma Ruth had done with her daughter....leave with no name on the birth certificate. Then in 1967, when Kathryn's baby is born she names her daughter Anne Marie? I mean come on now folks what are the chances of that happening? I'll tell you.....slim to none.....that's how many....of all the first & last names in the entire world she just happens to pick the exact same combination as her original name??? I guess baby "Kathryn" figured there I'll show you all....eventually! I'll have my way like it or not! It took me 39 years to figure out that I am really named after my Mother! Whether she or anyone else realized it or not.
But did she realize it? Did she know..... in her heart & soul, deep down that she was
really originally named Ann Marie? Perhaps she did after all.
There she is....Baby "Kathryn" just as I described "full of life!" Isn't she just adorable? She's so cute she should have been the Gerber baby!
Or wait....is she really baby "Kathryn" maybe it's "Hilma" or maybe not???"
"Ann Marie?" my sister questioned me on the phone. "Yes, that's what it say's Ann Marie" I replied. "Hmmmm" "I had no idea. Nobody ever mentioned anything about that to me....not, Joyce, not Auntie, Tula, not even Grandma!" she stated. Are you sure it says Ann Marie?" she questioned me again. "Well it's in Grandma's handwriting, so believe it." I told her, "It's right here in black & white." "Well that makes absolutely no sense!" she said. "I know it doesn't! I replied. or does it I thought to myself?"
After Grandma Ruth (Kathryn's Momma) passed my Sister Betsy was kind enough to send each one of her siblings a relic from the collection of relics that Grandma Ruth had held on to all these years. I guess like many of us she just couldn't bare to part with the reminders of the past. It's funny how you're really not sure what to do with these things. But you hold on to them. Store them away in dusty attics & musty basements for years.... out of respect for the dearly departed. I never realized the secrets that would be revealed from my plain old ordinary brown box that was left on my porch. When I received it in the mail I sat down on the floor & opened it up. All kinds of stuff was in there. Some photos, my Mom's old high school scrapbook, some beautiful doilies that my Great Grandma Rena had crocheted in Sweden decades ago.
Then I noticed this interesting book....
It was old, but in good condition, of course it was, Grandma Ruth was the best at keeping things orderly & preserved. I couldn't stand it anymore...I am a glutton for family history. I thought which one of my relatives baby book is this.....I delicately opened the cover. Written in, oh so neatly, it had the usual new baby info...ya know... how many lbs & ounces, how long the baby was, etc. The date written in was August 24, 1936. I got so excited this was my Mom's baby book! (She had departed so many years before and any glimmer of her life just thrilled me.) OMG I can't believe my Sister sent this to me! Thanks Betsy! I began to read all the entries Grandma Ruth had written in. It listed the baby gifts she had received, the babies first visitors etc etc. Then I noticed something odd my Grandma had written....."It said "Ann Marie smiled today?" and I thought to myself "Ann Marie" who the heck is Ann Marie & whose baby book is this?" Why did my Grandma Ruth write in someone elses baby's book. Wait...Wait....Wait a minute here though, the date listed is my Mom's Birthday....how can this be. You mean to tell me my Mom "Kathryn" was not only named Hilma? She had actually lived her life for days as Ann Marie? Her name was Ann Marie..... long enough for my Grandma to write it in her baby book??? How could they do that to her...how could my Grandpa Martin make my Grandma Ruth.....change her babies name??? Oh poor Momma how could anyone do this to you.
Ok now, everything starts flood back to me. My mind begins to race. I recall the missing name on my Mom's birth certificate, but what really freaks me out a bit is that I....Anne Marie baby Kathryn's daughter....discovered in 1997 that I do not have a name on my birth certificate either. I realized this when I attempting to locate an original copy for my 1st cruise. I had to go through heck trying to get a name on that dang thing.
All my birth certificate ever said was Baby Girl Tamel. How ironic is this?
Well I thought to myself, Momma....well she never said a word....I don't think she even knew that her original name was Ann Marie. Of course she would have said something to one of us! I recall her telling the story over & over again about how her Father Martin wanted to name her "Hilma" she never EVER mentioned anything about Ann Marie. I proceeded to call all of my siblings & question them. "Did Mom ever tell you that her name was originally Ann Marie?" Every one of them said "No....but Grandpa Martin wanted to name her Hilma. Grandma wasn't having it so they settled on Kathryn Ann Hilma Larson" I answered "I know that.... but her original name was Ann Marie, the same as mine!"
How ironic that 31 years later "Baby Kathryn" would give birth to her 3rd daughter & not name her in the hospital....just as Grandma Ruth had done with her daughter....leave with no name on the birth certificate. Then in 1967, when Kathryn's baby is born she names her daughter Anne Marie? I mean come on now folks what are the chances of that happening? I'll tell you.....slim to none.....that's how many....of all the first & last names in the entire world she just happens to pick the exact same combination as her original name??? I guess baby "Kathryn" figured there I'll show you all....eventually! I'll have my way like it or not! It took me 39 years to figure out that I am really named after my Mother! Whether she or anyone else realized it or not.
But did she realize it? Did she know..... in her heart & soul, deep down that she was
really originally named Ann Marie? Perhaps she did after all.
Please stay tuned & follow along as I unfold the continuing story of "My Favorite Woman of the 20th Century!
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