Wimpy

I used to struggle with my first name. This was back when I went to elementary school.

After many years of homeschooling, I couldn’t imagine responding to any other name than Emeri.

Before I struggled with my legal first name, I struggled to accept my nicknames.

Emmy, Emmy-Lou, Emmy Badu, Bam Bam, Wimpy…

I can assure you that I was confused by all of them, except for Emmy.

Specifically, I struggled with the nickname Wimpy.

It used to hurt my feelings, due to the definition. I had yet to understand irony or sarcasm.

My mother USED TO CALL ME WIMPY!
Actually typing that sounds awful… but from what I remember, my mother was using irony to acknowledge my big emotions and how I would cry through any situation.

I also remember my mom told me that it was okay to have a lot of feelings and even be scared… but the point of being scared was to conquer that feeling of fear.
My mommy was also the first person who taught me Jeremiah 29:11. When I was in children’s church (WAY back when), I even impressed the minister by being able to quote the scripture.

As my moment of reflection comes to an end, I can’t recall exactly when I came to understand the meaning of that particular nickname. Somewhere during the transition between childhood and adolescence, I began to love hearing my mom call me Wimpy. I can hear every bit of sarcasm because she has seen how brave I chose/learned to be, despite my feelings.

Wimpy still is my favorite nickname.