For 25 years, my last name translated into German as “to hear.” Granted, the name wasn’t supposed to even be German; it was supposed to be Irish and descend from a word that meant the warrior-sounding “son of Odin.” Then take into account that there are three people (that I know of) who have had that last name and now have some major hearing loss thanks to the power of genetics. So there must’ve been many folks in Ireland with that last name who couldn’t hear worth a darn. Somewhere in the past, a German immigrant in Ireland was chuckling.
Then I got married, and now I’ve got a German last name. For all I know, I could’ve very well have joined the group that laughed at my Irish ancestors. Life’s funny in the twists and turns it takes.
