A few people have asked me about my name.
As in the unusual spelling.
My birth name is Bette, as in Bette Midler. I was always called 'Bet' at home, but teachers and strangers would call me Bette as in Betty. I disliked my name.
I happened to marry a man whose last name was french and ended with 'ette".
My first name then rhymed with my last.
When I became the nursing administrator of an acute dialysis company after moving to Florida, I had 10 nurses working for me & contracts with 10 hospitals in Tampa, St Pete and Clearwater. When I'd call the hospitals, administration, or Drs, I'd say this is 'Bette C-ette' with Vivra dialysis.
From the other end of the phone I'd hear "Beth?"
'no, Bette'
Beth?
no, Bette
Beth?
long pause...Yes
From there on out it was Beth every hospital ICU/CCU/ER, every doctor, every nurse in Hillsborough and Pinellas county know be as Bethe from Dialysis.
I was like the Ghostbuster of renal failure. 'Patient needs dialysis ~Who ya gonna call?
Beth!
So people started calling me Beth.
Since I never cared for Bette I had no idea why my parents didn't name me Elizabeth I legally changed it to "Elizabethe". Which I am told is the old English way of spelling it. So I spelled Bethe with na 'e', also. And with "Bethe" all I had to do was change one letter.
Well, that was a long way from point A to B, wasn't it?
12 comments:
have a very happy Easter!!! Megghan
whew! :)
In the UK Eliabeth is spelt this way and if shortened to Beth no E also Betty is another form of Elizabeth but always spelt with a Y Bette is Bet, it wasn't until Bette Davis said that her name was Betty but only the Brits called her Bet which we spell like this...lol, just to add to the confusion
Take care
Yasmin
xx
Congrats on being a guest editor's pick! -Dawn-
Happy Easter!
Hey Sunny Happy Jelly Beans!
Wow! That is so cool that you changed your name! Does your mom still call you Bette? Or has she given in to Bethe?
be well,
Dawn
http://journals.aol.com/princesssaurora/CarpeDiem/
I like Bethe much better!
Missie
That's an interesting story :o)
Jenny
http://journals.aol.co.uk/Jmoqueen/MyLife
Ever since you told me that story a coupla weeks ago, I keep thinking of you as Bethe-Bette. LOL
Either way, you're the Bethe-t!! (hehehe)
Hugs,
Carol
Very interesting, I wondered about the E on the end as well...now I know!
xx
Lisa
Well that was pretty interesting reading. Hey, you didnt like your name anyway...so now you are called whatcha wanna be! ;)
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