Thursday: What's in a name . . .

Rather a lot, actually. It was by no accident or mere whim of my mother's that I am named as I am.

Two of my mother's great loves were cats and Egypt, so it's no surprise that she combined the two and named me Emuishere, which is Ancient Egyptian for "little (shéré) cat (emu)", or "kitten". In my younger days, as happens to most who have names that look somewhat intimidating on paper, it was shortened to Emmy. I never minded, but as I got older and teenage rebellion set in, I wanted to assert my own identity. Shere became my preference, which I still use today. However, I am fond of my name and try to use it as much as I can, especially professionally.

My middle name is Greta. It may not appear as such on the surface, but it is in its way a tribute to one of my mother's closest friends. "Grant" wasn't feminine enough, apparently. I'm merely thankful she didn't go with Edwina or Theodora or something equally old fashioned. As for my last name, well, it's my mother's and it was the only one that was appropriate. That's all I have to say about it.

Any other names I may use were bestowed upon me by my predecessors and I do my best to respect and live up to the legacies I have inherited.