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"It's CassOndra!"
She was fiercely protective of her name
Written by Connie Small, November 11, 2000
With few exceptions, everyone I've ever known, hated their name and wished
it was something else. Except Cassy. I wanted her name spelled CassOndra
instead of CassAndra. The "O" gave her a softer sound, so that it was
pronounced as the word saunter, instead of the word sand. It made her
unique. And, like me, she loved being unique. Her name was special to
her.
One of the strongest memories I have of her, was when she was in the fifth
grade. It was Grandparent's Day at school. All of the fifth grade children
had each entered an essay contest about their grandparents. The principal
announced the winner as, "Cassandra Small!". When she got to him, you
could tell she was saying something to him, but without a mic, you couldn't
hear her. Neither could the principal, so he bent down to hear better.
When he did, the mic was suddenly in front of her little face. As plain
as day, her words rang out, "It's CassOndra!". As he apologized, everyone
in the audience laughed because they knew from her words, tone of voice
and the determined look on her face, that she was very serious.
The name Cassondra means "helper of man". Cassy lived up to her name.
She had no enemies. Everyone who came in contact with her, remarked on
her politeness, friendliness and how helpful she was. Annette means "graceful".
She moved like an angel on a cloud.
When the newspaper printed the story of her death, and her obituary, they
spelled her name CassAndra. Two of my other daughters and myself, immediately
went to the newspaper and made sure it was corrected. They said they knew.
They had already had many other people call or stop by to tell them of
their mistake. Cassy was so particular about her name, all of her family
and friends knew how important it was that it be spelled and pronounced
correctly. Even in death, she made sure it was spelled the uniquely. As
unique as my angel.
I miss you, Cassy. I love you, forever and ever, plus one more day.
Mom