In December 2004 I went out to Wisconsin to visit my family for the holidays. We spent Christmas day at my aunt's house and it was crowded, but fun. As I sat in the packed living room watching all my cousins and their kids, I noticed how many girls there are in my family and I wondered how I got stuck with three brothers.
My mother is one of five sisters, the Wescott girls. They all raised a pack of wild kids and none of them, my mother included, have had a fairy tale life. There have been wonderful times but there were also challenges and yet the Wescott girls were still together laughing, telling stories and caring for their families. I realized that day that my mother came from a long line of very strong women. They are fighters who never give up and always manage to find time for laughter.
The very next month I got pregnant and in April 2005 I found out that I was having a girl. I felt I had no choice but to give her the Wescott name and hope that the strength, humor and love carried down from her maternal grandmother. I am sad that I do not live closer to my family. I would love for Charlotte Wescott Crocker to be surrounded by the women she was named after.
A note to Aunt Dorothy: I got your email on Monday and it made me cry. Thank you for thinking of me and for giving me hope.
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