Nicknames...by Jim Terry

How many of us have had or do have a nickname in our life?

When I was growing up, I had several different names I went by.  The obvious one, when I was a young boy, would have been “Jimmy.”  As I grew up, and for certain friends in high school who were “copycatting” a national BBQ sauce commercial, I would be known as “Jimmy Joe”.  “Flipper”, “Dude”, “Jimbay” and “Jimbobs” were also a part of the tags I had and do have throughout my life. Each and every name was distinctive, unique and always draws a smile when I think of them.

However, I did not want to talk about my nicknames today but the nicknames of another very important person in my life who just so happened to have her fiftieth birthday earlier this week.  She is known to most of us as “Lor” which has been shortened from her given name of Lora.

One of my favorite nicknames that evolved over the years for my sister was “Lo-lo”.  If memory serves me correctly, this particular nickname began due to the younger siblings in our family.  When children are young, as all of us know, it takes time for the tongue and the lips to develop the precise movement of the muscles to form the correct sound of the word they are trying to express…so Lora or even Lor can easily become “Lo-lo.”  It was just much easier for a young child to say “Lo-lo” and somehow that just stuck with her.

Another fun nickname that she had was “Slugger.”  For those of you who do not know my sister, she was one of the best softball players I have ever seen.  Her ability to hit, throw and run is something I STILL brag about to my friends, acquaintances and my patients.  I remember several years playing co-ed softball with her.  She would play left-center field and I was always on the infield at third base and/or shortstop…Not to be chauvinistic with this next comment, but in a man’s world and especially in coed softball, we immediately assess in our mind when we get up to bat..."where  are the girls located on the field?" We then proceed to the notion that it’s an easy way to get on base if we, as men, place hit the ball to a girl, especially in the outfield.  And just so you know, it is also a calculated way we stroke our egos, show our testosterone levels and finally exhibit our strength so we not only get on base but can “easily” get a double, a triple or even a home run.  

I would always chuckle to myself when a man would try to “stroke his ego” by hitting towards my sister in the outfield. Not only would he be so quickly and shamelessly humbled by her talent, but he would leave the field with his head down saying to himself, “What in the heck just happened?”…To this day, and probably never again in my lifetime, will I see a GIRL with the ability to throw a ball all the way from the center field fence to home plate without skipping the ball at least once! 

 “Aunt Swearer” was also another funny nickname given to her. Lor has NEVER had a problem expressing herself.  And in doing so, she has always had this amazing ability to use colorful metaphors like “shoot”, “darn” and “heck.”  Of course if you take these metaphors and switch them into other four letter words of similar meaning, then you will understand how and why certain nieces and nephews would name her for this miraculous and mind-blowing talent. J

I could go on and on about several other nicknames I can think of and could discuss concerning my sister Lora over the years, but NONE of them are as important as the ones I feel in my heart…She’s my “confidant”, an “amazing person” and my best “friend.” These are the nicknames that accurately and justly express who you really are “SIS”! (another nickname) J

Hope you had a WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY LOR! WE LOVE YOU!