Alexandria Sarah Mayes

My Name

Monday, August 27, 2007

Alexandria Sarah Mayes

Alexandria is of Greek origin. It is the feminine of Alexander, which means defender of mankind. I love my name. I love the way it rolls of my tongue and anyone else's. It flows like water, beautiful and sweet. If it wasn't such a long name I would want everyone to call me Alexandria; defender of all, beautiful and strong. I don't think anyone else in my family was named Alexandria. I am unique in my family to be the one and only Alexandria.

Sarah is my middle name, the word that connects the flow of my first and last. It is of Hebrew origin, of the princess once called Sarai. She was adventurous and described to be exceptionally beautiful. I love the way Sarah makes my whole name sound. Without it I don't believe it would flow as beautifully as it does. To me, Sarah means leader in adventure, always willing to have fun, and most of all, east to fall in love. Although I know that when I hear my whole name, it usually means I'm in trouble. "Alexandria Sarah Mayes! Get down here right now!"

I am a Mayes and proud of it. The Mayes' were first found in Somerset in the 1600's. The family motto was established: "protect thy well-loved." My family has always been a very tight unit; we have always had each others backs. When I was little, and sometimes even now, I would be sitting in the living room with my granddaddy and he'd say, "Alex, let me see them feet." He'd look at them and just laugh and say how I got the Mayes toe, the way it curls up like a peanut. Then he'd go to my hands and say, "Beulah! (my grandmother) look at these hands! Just like her daddy's!" I love that I am a Mayes. We may be crazy at times, but who's family isn't?

Professor wrote: "Great reflective writing. You give a poetic quality to your descriptions. Narrative seems to come naturally to you"