Happy Birthday, Beem!

My Gram would have been 117 years old today. I called her my 'Beem' as I was learning to talk and it stuck. She was the champion of nicknames. Her name for me was 'Narmi'. I have no idea where that came from. Her children, my siblings and cousins had equally intriguing names which were hard for us to answer to as teenagers. My sister Poo put a stop to her nickname when she turned sixteen, but Gram never called her by her given name that I know of. The endearing pet names have become fond reminders of our youth as we matured and many of us still use them today. Chip, Tessie, Nonie, ChiChi, Bonnie (her name was Constance), Buddy, Skeetzie, Flakes, Bing and Penny will light a candle in the sky and sing the 'Happy Birthday' song to you with the spirit of this momentous occasion today. My cousin Suzer and the rest of your family will lift skyward a toast of love and laughter to our Beem! Happy Birthday! Love, Narmi