After 25 years...I lose a piece of me

Tomorrow I will officially change my name...that means that I am letting go of a HUGE part of my identity. All through life people called me Sara Terry. It was almost as if my first and last name were fused together and could not be separated. In third grade I was Sara T. not to be confused with Sarah S. As a teacher I've been Ms. Terry. Now, as I officially complete the marrital duty of taking on my husband's name (because I really want to), I'm losing part of who I have always been. I'm losing my last name.

Of course, as I lose my last name, I gain another name...a new part of me. But this new part doesn't have as much meaning as the old. The old ties me to my family. A family I'm very proud to be part of. The old ties me to my lineage- where I'm from I'm not sure- but it's a good history. The old starts with a consonant, has double letters, and ends with a y. And, yea, so does the new.

I guess going from Terry to Moody isn't that crazy. I mean, kids never made fun of Terry. There isn't much to make fun of. It's really plain. On the other hand...Moody...there's so many places to go with that. I'm not looking forward to the adult humor it will encourage.

I'm not taking the old with me. I figure that if I'm losing the old I should lose it completely. There won't be a Sara Terry Moody out there. That just sounds odd. But, Sara Marie Moody has a sweet ring to it.

It's time to work on my new signature and get ready to be Mrs. Moody in the classroom. It'll take some time for my ears to adjust to the new ring, but I believe I'll be able to do it. It may take the rest of the staff at the school to catch on. I believe I'll probably be Ms. Terry for as long as I teach at Tri Cities. But, I'll know the difference, my students will know the difference, and, most importantly, my husband will know the difference.