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You all know i am 1/2 native American on mother's side and mostly french on the monster's side..... so HOW did I get a nickname like Neshema which is Hebrew???
I had a sponsee who was a teacher at Perdue University...A real sharp gal who was born in Israel, but moved to USA as a child with her physician father and stay at home mother, who was also an alcoholic....
In addition to her miserys with mom's drinking, she was also a stalking victim, while teaching at the university, and who was attacked by her stalker, and it was a looong process prosecuting this guy but the aftermath left her with a lot of emotional scars ...AND her mom being an alcoholic didn't help much b/c she adored her parents so this was a rough thing for her to accept..
Anyway, we hooked up on pal talk messenger which was real popular for a time (maybe still is, don't know) for the 12 steps rooms...We went for a couple of years and slowly we kinda died out...but anyway-----
I ran an alanon room which essentially welcomed ANY 12 stepper in need of help.....it was talk and it was soo awesome...(now I hear you can do video, too) ..I would open my room and we would begin with my welcome to everyone and going into the "room etiquette" and welcome to the newbies and apprised them of how you let the room know when you want to share (typing an "!" to get in queue) ....I loved it ...It was voice...more personal to me and we had quite a few "regulars" and we all got friendly with each other..
Anyway, this is how i met my sponsee...She found her way into my room which grew like a weed patch..I had folks from all over the globe, I swear, in my room, which i opened at 7pm my time in Tx on Friday nights and also on Saturday nights, and we would stay going until 9pm, many times...the A's had a room going the same nites but they would start at like 8pm or 8:30 pm and I became friendly with the gal who ran it...it was an "open" AA meet so many alanons would go visit her room, and her folks would come into my room....Many of our "roomies" would bounce back and forth from her room to mine and vice versa...
I took "S" under my wing, sponsored her, got her fired up on the steps and slogans and i would email her worksheets on step 4 stuff and she really did well...we would go over stuff on the phone and she worked hard...we worked through family of origin stuff, we worked through the awful stalking experience, how it was not her fault, etc., and nothing she did wrong to "attract" this freak, etc., and basically she did really well...She hungered for recovery, and I loved her
Well one night our room was full and she was there, as usual, eager to do her work and she gave REAL nice and open and sincere shares and everyone really liked her...
Anyway, after opening exercises by me, "S" asks me in private chat if she can do something "special" that she has been wanting to do for me
I said "ok, go for it" not knowing a THING what she was gonna do, but oh well, Curiosity is my middle name
She gets on her Microphone and she tells everyone that I helped her get through her stalking issue and helped her with a plan to get her life back together w/mom drinking and she gave this nice speech thanking me for my help and now she wants to in front of EVERYONE christen me with a name...A Hebrew name that is ALL mine if I would honor her by accepting it and of course, I did, and she says "I name you "Neshema Metuka" and she told us all that that name meant "sweet or sweetie/sweetheart and soul"..
I was stunned...in front of the entire room, she named me...I didn't know what to say, I was so humbled by her gift......and the room all typed their approval and happiness for me one by one everyone put emoticons on the chat part of the room, roses, and hearts etc....It was quite a night...My getting my new name and the room had some really great sharing...I think we stayed open danged near 3 hours, lol...I'm going into my 13th year as of Feb. in recovery and this was like 10 years ago, when this all happened...And she was my first sponsee and she does THIS for ME!!!!
I worked for a Jewish lady who was a real Safartic (sp) Jew whose husband was from Israel and My boss "J" spoke perfect Hebrew and she understood as well as any Israeli Jew the protocols, etc. of Judaism...I told her what happened to me in the room and how "S" did this in front of everyone, even tho it was not video room, it was voice and there was like 25 people in the room and she did this in front of em all
my boss said that if a Jew names you a name, and does it before Heshem (God) and witnesses, etc., it is the REAL deal....not on paper, but it is "noted" by the Great Spirit....I was like "WOW" This was an honor beyond anything i could say....
I kept sponsoring "S" till she decided to go back to Israel and teach there....I get occasional emails from her that she is keeping up w/her steps and slogans, literature, etc., and that she loves me forever adn I am always happy to hear from her....
I use my little name proudly, it is mine to use....And I do my best to honor it by trying to be a vessel of light and doing the right thing...
I have a Jewish good friend who is also one of my recovery mates since I began my recovery...She was so supportive of me when I began this journey... ...I told her about my story right after it happened ...She loved it...thought it was a real testimony of how much this little gal loved me.....Because, according to her, the Israelis don't just hand out names to gentiles unless they really love them
So anyway, that is how I got my name, in case anyone cared, LOL, AND---- I am wide awake, woke up out of a dead sleep, let the dogs out and thought "oh well..I will get on the board...Read...And then it came to me to tell you all the story as to how I got my name of Neshema....
(Neshema Matouka is too long so its Neshema or Nesh for short, lol)...
Anyway, its now 4:00 am, and I am gonna TRY to get some sleep....Dogs are already crashed out and I am gonna TRY to do the same.....
Nite Nite all......or I should say, good early am, all...
__________________
Live and let live and do it with peace and goodwill to all!!!!
That is awesome! A perfect name for you given that meaning :) I assumed it was part of your native American history. I was wrong.
Pinkchip is because they give out chips for varying lengths of sobriety in AA within your first year. It is medallions for every year. So I found MIP when I had just 60 days sober. That was December of 2008. I came over to explore this board about a year or two later. So anyhow, at 60 days, in my home AA group, they give out a pink chip. I was so proud of all my AA chips. So when I started posting on MIP, I had a "Pink chip" and that is where the name is born. From that point, I progressed through all those chips and 6 medallions thankfully with no relapse and MIP has been part of it the whole time.
Thanks for starting this thread Neshema and thanks Mark for your share.
My" nik" came from my son always poking fun at how slow I drove and calling me "Hot Rod". You must remember he drove fast, as he was a race car driver.
That is awesome! A perfect name for you given that meaning :) I assumed it was part of your native American history. I was wrong.
Pinkchip is because they give out chips for varying lengths of sobriety in AA within your first year. It is medallions for every year. So I found MIP when I had just 60 days sober. That was December of 2008. I came over to explore this board about a year or two later. So anyhow, at 60 days, in my home AA group, they give out a pink chip. I was so proud of all my AA chips. So when I started posting on MIP, I had a "Pink chip" and that is where the name is born. From that point, I progressed through all those chips and 6 medallions thankfully with no relapse and MIP has been part of it the whole time.
(((((((((((((((((((((((Mark)))))))))))))))))) oh that is so cute....U coming here with your Pink Chip....I am so glad you found this place and glad that I found you on here.........hugs
PS and Yaaaaay NO RELAPSES........if i were a betting person, I would bet on you staying sober..making it through.....Really...I am so proud of you and glad we are friends xo
__________________
Live and let live and do it with peace and goodwill to all!!!!
Thanks for starting this thread Neshema and thanks Mark for your share.
My" nik" came from my son always poking fun at how slow I drove and calling me "Hot Rod". You must remember he drove fast, as he was a race car driver.
LOLOL...Betty, I wondered how you got your name, your so elegant and classy and I can't picture you with a jacked up mustang or a giant tire chevy truck or something....LOL.....Love this story.....my SIL was a race car driver...i was sooo happy when he quit......
OK Guys HOW did you get your nicknames?????
__________________
Live and let live and do it with peace and goodwill to all!!!!
That is awesome! A perfect name for you given that meaning :) I assumed it was part of your native American history. I was wrong.
Mark, part of my email is "lightshines" the Cherokee elders in OK, grandaddy and Uncle Doc named me that as my Cherokee indian name....what they do (elders) is watch a child, observe their personality and they pick a name for him or her.....that was the Cherokee side.......
My Shawnee elders did the same thing...watched me, observed me and b/c I was so huggie as a baby, they named me "Ya weet sen tho" which is "baby girl" in shawnee.....I have both tribes in me....the great Tecumseh had a great warrior sister named Star Watcher who is my grt. grt. grt (dunno how many grts to count) grandmother and her job as a child was to baby sit Tecumseh and b/c his brother was killed in battle, Star Watcher who was a brave and strong medicine squaw was given the job to teach her brother, make a young man out of him, (she could shoot and throw a knife and use the bow and arrow as good as any man, if not better) Anyway, she as a baby used to look at the stars and want to know about them....I can't remember how Tecumseh got his name....but my grt gramma I do......
I use Neshema to honor the little lady who gave me this name b/c Neshema , i got being her good sponsor...so in recovery I use this.....also when I am shopping in the Jewish stores in No. Dallas in the "high end district" and I am wanting a good deal on some of the grocery store's good kosher stuff, I conveniently say to the one selling , "oh Hi...How are you?? .My name is Neshema..What is your name????" ...they then assume I am "one of them" and I get an "insiders" deal on the food.....
__________________
Live and let live and do it with peace and goodwill to all!!!!
Loved learning the meaning of your name, how it came to be, the honor with which it was bestowed, Neshema. I, like Karma, have wondered how you came by that name. Hebrew letters and names are profoundly sacred in their tradition. I loved learning more about the naming. Thank you. As you know, my name for you is "My Rosie," and I love all the names that are yours because I love you as the person you have revealed yourself to be.
Mark: I enjoyed reading your story and how you chose Pinkchip for your screen name. Most of all, I'm glad I know you and to think of you as a very special brother of mine.
Hotrod: I laughed when I read how you came by that name. Your son certainly loved his Mom and felt comfortable in teasing you. Sweet story. I also get "driving slow." You and I may be very comfortable on the roads with our way of driving? Unfortunately, there are others who seem to want to wave at me a lot. Did they wave at you, too? So many of them appeared to be amputees.
-- Edited by grateful2be on Sunday 25th of January 2015 11:45:53 AM
-- Edited by grateful2be on Sunday 25th of January 2015 12:06:11 PM
Lovely thread and lovely experience.....you touched this gal deeply. The name is fitting and I do love "Rosie"' too.
Hey ((((((P)))))) I can't even BEGIN to tell u how honored i was when she did that....She is gravely ill w/some blood disease and docs are really having a hard time w/her care, now....I could lose her......whatever is to be, she will always walk in my heart...... back at ya sister P
__________________
Live and let live and do it with peace and goodwill to all!!!!
back at ya sister P