I Am Born.

“Let’s start at the very beginning. A very good place to start.”
-Maria, The Sound of Music

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Sean McLaughlin.
Today is Tuesday,
May 3, 1983.
It is cloudy and humid.
Sean’s mother went to
have a baby. We will save
our milk cartons to plant seeds.

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Sean McLaughlin.
Today is Wednesday
May 4, 1983.
It is cloudy and warm.
We had gum.
We had music.
Sean’s mother had a
new baby girl. Her name
is Lisa Ann.

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Sean.

~

My brother Sean named me. My parents were going to name me Leanne, but Sean, 8 years old at the time, determined that naming me Leanne wouldn’t make sense. Everyone else in the family, except Mum, had four letters in their names: Jack, Sean, and Paul. Mum had four letters times two: Rosemary (also two names with four letters).

The new baby’s name should therefore be Lisa.

And that’s why I’m named Lisa. My middle name is Anne, with an e at the end. My middle name is after my mother’s best friend, Anne Martin.

Lisa Anne McLaughlin.

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