When I changed my name, I initially hadn’t planned on telling grandma or insisting on my new name with her. Many people I’d known for a long time had had trouble with it and I’d thought it might be simpler to just avoid that altogether for once. 

The next time I saw grandma after my name change, without any hesitation, she greeted me with a “hello Jay”. She never questioned it, never asked why I had changed my name, never showed any disappointment at my giving up a “pretty” name. I don’t think I heard her slip up once. I can count on one hand the number of people who have managed that. Her consistent and unquestioning support was a great source of comfort to me and meant more than I can put into words.