Irene

My identical twin sister carried my identical twin daughters for me. I named them Irene Lesley Ann and Margaret Elizabeth Ann. I named them for my grandmothers. Their names peaked in popularity in the United States in 1915, but they are old-fashioned names that fit my feisty daughters. We lost Irene when she was four months old due to failed heart surgery in a Boston hospital and not a day goes by that I don’t think of her and miss her and look for the elusive peace that is the meaning of her name. They share the middle name Ann in the same way that my twin and I share Ann as a middle name. I wanted them both to have Ann because it is the name I share with my sister. She made dreams come true by helping me to become a mother and I wanted our daughters to share in the love story that the four of us are together.

-Jen, Quincy, MA

Irene

My mother chose my name which was actually the title of a song by Catalan songwriter and singer Lluís Llach. She never explained why she liked that song or the name. I love the fact that Irene is a Greek name that means peace and I try to honor the meaning of my name every day. These are the lyrics of the song:

Irene
by Lluís Llach

No, I didn't want to paint
Your long hair
or your hands.

Nor your body, which I surrounded
with waves I robbed
to the fearless sea.

No, I didn't wanted to paint
this serene
freed awakening.

Nor the first bird singing
that brings us the wind
before the farewell.

And now that time takes me away
and you close the door
that I came through,
No, I do not want to remember
your image
nor your hands
No, I can not stop
and look at life
from the window.

No, I do not want to step on
leaves that remind me
of the way you walk.

No, I do not want to return
the road that takes me
to your home.

And now that we have left
that shortcut
that we took,
No, I do not want to remember
your image
nor your hands.
No, I can not stop
and look at life
from the window.

Irene, Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain