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HelpRe: Muriel
in reply to a message by vigdis
It was the name of one of my great-aunts. I could see from pictures that she had been a very pretty young woman. She and my grandmother, her sister, had looked much alike, with red hair, dark eyes, and high cheekbones. I was told that up until about age 50, which for her was the middle 1960s, she had been a quiet and reserved woman, but I have no memory of her that way.
She was married, but she and her husband never had children because he had a low sperm count. Back when they were young, there wasn't anything to be done about that. Not having any children was a life-long heartbreak for her.
When she was about 50, I was told, she went crazy for a while, believing crazy things, such as that her husband was going to drive her off a bridge, and if she ate in a restaurant her food would be poisoned, and that there were people inside the TV looking at her. I remember hearing a story about how she caught sight of herself in a department store mirror, and burst into tears and ran out of the store because she no longer looked the way that she had when young.
She got over believing the crazy stuff, but after that, her personality changed completely, and she became brash and loud, and started smoking cigarettes, which she had never done before, and drinking, and wearing a ridiculous wig, and short, loud dresses which were unsuitable for her age. That's the only way that I remember her, as I was just a child when she went through her crisis. She died in 1988.
So that was Aunt Muriel and whenever I hear the name I think of her. Pretty much think, "Crazy old lady."
However, I am able to separate the name from that image, and when I do, I think it's actually quite charming and would be a nice change of pace from the names that are popular today. I used to think that I liked Mariel more, but no I don't, I prefer Muriel because it's a much older name than Mariel and has a real etymology. Muriel is Celtic, which makes sense, since my great-grandmother, Aunt Muriel's mother, was Irish.
She was married, but she and her husband never had children because he had a low sperm count. Back when they were young, there wasn't anything to be done about that. Not having any children was a life-long heartbreak for her.
When she was about 50, I was told, she went crazy for a while, believing crazy things, such as that her husband was going to drive her off a bridge, and if she ate in a restaurant her food would be poisoned, and that there were people inside the TV looking at her. I remember hearing a story about how she caught sight of herself in a department store mirror, and burst into tears and ran out of the store because she no longer looked the way that she had when young.
She got over believing the crazy stuff, but after that, her personality changed completely, and she became brash and loud, and started smoking cigarettes, which she had never done before, and drinking, and wearing a ridiculous wig, and short, loud dresses which were unsuitable for her age. That's the only way that I remember her, as I was just a child when she went through her crisis. She died in 1988.
So that was Aunt Muriel and whenever I hear the name I think of her. Pretty much think, "Crazy old lady."
However, I am able to separate the name from that image, and when I do, I think it's actually quite charming and would be a nice change of pace from the names that are popular today. I used to think that I liked Mariel more, but no I don't, I prefer Muriel because it's a much older name than Mariel and has a real etymology. Muriel is Celtic, which makes sense, since my great-grandmother, Aunt Muriel's mother, was Irish.
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