Amy Day

Her grandmother had died in May and in December, 1977,

I’m talking to Amy Lyn about being named after

both her Grandma and Grandpa Esplin.

Amy Heaton and John Lynn.

She is nearly three years old.

“I’m not Grandpa,” she says softly.

“Where is Grandma?” I asked her.

“She’s just at her house.”

“No. Grandma’s in heaven and her name was Amy too.”

“No, she’s not Amy,” insisted Amy Lyn, “she’s Grandma.

She’s just Grandma.  I’m Amy.”

Amy Heaton Esplin 70th birthday

When we named her Amy Lyn,

we knew there was another Amy in the family: Amy Jayne Hart.

Grandmother Amy Heaton Esplin, cousin Amy Jayne Hart holding Amy Lyn Hugh
(Holding hands. I love it.)

What we didn’t know was that she was born

on the exact same day as two other Amys in the extended family:

Amy Esplin Levanger and Amy Carroll Stark.

All three Amys born on December 30.

Amy Esplin Levanger, born December 30, 1922, is my double-first cousin—

our fathers are brothers and our mothers are sisters.

Amy Carroll Stark, born December 30, 1882, is my great aunt,

my Grandmother Heaton’s sister.

This is a shower Mama gave for me before DeRay and I were married.  She said the young folks have all the fun; she invited all the old folks to a shower.  "Just bring your favorite recipe and a bit of advice to help my daughter successfully through her married life." Aunt Esther Johnson, Emily Adair, Mame Chamberlain, Aunt Zidie Crook, Aunt Amy Stark, Aunt Ella Palmer, Aunt Vine Heaton, Aunt Lillie Carroll, Sarah Cox, Wilma Adair, Hester Heaton. Aunt Nell Hoyt, Aunt Minn Cook, Eliza Cox, Aunt Minn Sorensen, Aunt Lucy Esplin, Martha Porter. Sept. 1956

This was Aunt Amy's advice to me:
Don’t think your world or marriage has come to an end with your first dispute.

Differences of opinion mean progress.

Discuss them without argument to broaden your viewpoint.  Aunt Amy

(Interesting advice, considering I never met her husband. From the Carroll Heritage book, for the first time I learn that Aunt Amy divorced her husband in 1922. Born and reared in England, he left landlocked Long Valley for California to find work in the shipyards and the sea he knew and loved in 1920 when his second child was only one year old. He served in the English Royal Navy from 1890 to 1902; joining the Church in 1910. Maybe infidelity was their problem, not disputes. Mama never told me.)

*

Brent was born on friend Dick Swapp’s birthday;

Jeanne was born on cousin Effie Sorensen’s birthday;

Brooke was born on friend ReNee Palmer’s birthday;

Not to be outdone, Eddy was born on his Grandpa Pugh’s birthday!

We were rather hoping Amy would be born

on Aunt Juanita’s birthday, December 29.

But someone who knows more than we know

Planned for her to be born on December 30 – AMY DAY.

Amy - day before birthday - 2014

Christmas Day 2014

DeRay came down bragging this morning, that he is twice as old as Amy. He finally figured it out.