Planting flowers in the snow....

Tomorrow I officially become Shoshana Ruth Sprinzl. I have been S.R. something in the past 21 years, but the "system" decided that wasn't good enough...so I have to go before a judge to get that decreed. So tomorrow at 9:00 am, that is my time to go before the Missoula county judge and make that change.

I have changed many things about me in my life. Hair color, nail polish, eye color(contacts),boyfriends, houses, jobs, cars, religious beliefs~even husbands! But this one thing is a life changing event, more than the rest. It is one of those final things, like death. So on my epitaph it will say Shoshana Sprinzl, not Kem Sprinzl. Or my SS Card, which has said Shoshana since 1989, will still say Shoshana, but I wonder if they will require a new number for the new person???? If I was married as Kem and as Shoshana, and neither one of them were legal technically at the time, then was I actually married? And I had one child as Kem, and one as Shoshana, I wonder what that means? if anything at all???? All these interesting questions wander in my mind. The court documents ask you if you are doing this to avoid penalty of law, or financial ruin. Nope, just liked the name, when I changed in in 1989. I changed it at the time, to "fit the mold", and I kept it all these years, because it seemed to fit me, even those that knew me as Kem, that have recently seen me, say so. There have only been like 5 people that have known me, kinda as both. I remember, people would say, "Kem" and I would say, it was, but I prefer "Shoshana" now. As much as I loved my folks, Kem just seemed somewhat "masculine" to me. And as anyone that has had more than a 5 minute conversation with me, knows that I am NOT in any way .....if anything extra feminine!!!!!!!

My parents had a difficult time with it, changing my name in 89. At that time, I actually thought of moving to Israel, with my Jewish hubby and my two sons.

My other family members, that I don't have contact with now, ironically, they couldn't even spell KEM correctly. They always made it Kim, which is fine, but I was named after my dad, Kenneth, so it was KEM not Kim, Kimberly, or Kimmie. My fraternal gramma called me "Kemmie" which I liked. My nickname now, is Shoshi (long o, short i(like long e sound), like SUSHI, just change the U for a SHO, and there ya go. I wonder, if since my birth certificate will still say "Kem Minnette" if in Heaven, I'll be Shoshana or Kem? Hmmm interesting thought. Having to spell Shoshana, was as hard as having to spell Kem . Its Sho Sha Na, not sho sh anna, or show shaw nnaah, and not sha sho na, or sha sha na, its just Shosh. Shoshi, Shoshana (long o, double short a sound). Like Rosh Hashana...I've even had people try to put an occidental twist on it, making it Shosana, Shushana, Soshana, Sosana...Does everyone have these problems???? LOL I like the name because it fits me perfectly. Shoshana is from Hebrew derivation, but 1/2 the time people say, "Oh must be American Indian" which I am 1/8 Cherokee, so I just smile...too hard to explain. Occasionally, someone will say "that is Biblical" or "isn't that hebrew?" Rarely, but it does happen. But it means "Rose or lilac", also my middle name "Ruth" was the first convert to Judaism and it means "friend". Remember, she followed her mother in law, Naomi, into her land "Your people will be my people and your God my God." So, I am a friend, that is a Rose, that can be "prickly" at times, sometimes seemingly "wilted" but always tries to put my best petal forward, and keep my leaves full of life, my roots strong, and flower full and sweet and soft, just like a rose! To quote an old saying I read once, "You can call me what you want, just don't call me late for dinner!".

I once volunteered in a Retirement home/Old age home, where I was a Optical technician, straightening and cleaning residents glasses....A really old gentleman came to me in his wheelchair. He was around 90...I said "Hi, my name is Shoshana, what can I help you with today?" His response, sent me and all my friends into hysterics later, because it was so sweet and funny at the same time. He said "I wanna Shoshana, I wanna Shoshana", gotta love it!

A rose by any other name... is just a flower that isn't a Shoshana.