It's all in the name

I'm not sure how this happened, but it happened all the same:

Somehow, over the course of the past two years, in two completely different friend groups having no communication with each other, my name morphed into: Lo.

Lo--while not being a typical nick-name for a person traditionally called 'Lauren'--has evolved over time to have many varieties. Lo-Lo was the first, and is shared between both groups, with credit going to both Ash and Aden.  Loristo is Heather's name of choice, with Kate following close behind in frequency of usage.

Each time my friends pull out these little names, my heart reminds me: Loved.  Each time, I am grateful.  Each time, however, I am also a bit taken by surprise, and have a little moment of disbelief in the longevity of their persistence in our relationship.

But, yesterday, when Kate and I had the following conversation, I thought: It's here to stay.

Here's what happened:

First, you need to know what happened on Thursday, when she came to her piano lesson.  She stood outside the door to my room while I finished up with Tobin, the student before her.  Tobin's little sister stood there with her, waiting too.  Because both of these little girls do not have 'quietly waiting' in their bag of tricks, they stood there knocking lightly, calling my name.  I told them we'd be a few more minutes, but I could hear them, whispering.  The whispers turned into Kate, calling in her sing-song way:

Lo-riiiiiiiii-sto!

And then I heard the little sister, calling out the same.

So, Friday:  Having a day off from school, Kate and Sarah were at home.  Heather had to teach, and Ash had to work, so I--having a few flexible hours--spent them with these two, for whom I have my own loving nick-names. While Sarita kept her little introverted self entertained, Kate-a-Late-a-La and I set up a nail salon at the kitchen table.

We lounged comfortably next to each other, amiably chatting in the ease of our long and familial relationship.  During our conversation, the piano lesson somehow came up, and I said: 

'Wasn't it cute how Tobin's little sister started calling me Loristo too?'

And Kate said: 'I know! I wanted to say "Hey little girl, that's my Loristo!", but I didn't.'

We smiled, and kept on with our work.  It was the briefest of moments, but it was a moment that said:

Love, gratitude, friendship here to stay?  

It's all in the name.