When President George
Albert Smith was young, his deceased grandfather George A. Smith appeared
to him in a dream and asked, “I would like to know what you have done with my
name.” President Smith responded, “I have never done anything with your name of
which you need be ashamed.”
What’s in the name? My name is Kime
Tuipulotu Lao. I was named after my maternal grandfather, the late Kime
Tuipulotu Kinikini. I share his first & middle name. Because he was such a
well known and well loved man, I am often mistakenly called Kime Kinikini by
the older generation Tongans that knew my grandpa because the unique names are
synonymous with each other.
The name
Kime is very much a family name, in fact I’ve never heard of any other person
or persons with that name except from my grandpa and the many relatives, such
as myself, that were named after him. I’m not even sure where he got his name
from, although I’ve always speculated he was named after an early Christian
missionary that may have visited the friendly island kingdom of Tonga, from
which he originates.
More times
than I can count, upon hearing my name, strangers immediately knew my family
history and genealogy, my parents, grandparents and from which village in
Tongan each came from. It was amazing! I can remember riding the bus home in 3rd
grade and walking home to my grandparent’s house during a snowstorm. A young
Tongan woman pulls up to me, rolls her window down and asks my name. I politely
tell her my name is Kime and she interrupts and says to me “Oh, Kime! I’m your
aunty! Get in the car and I’ll drive you home! I know where your grandparents
live! How are grandpa & grandma doing?” And without hesitation I get into a
complete strangers vehicle, and luckily she takes me right to my grandparents
house!
This exact
scenario has played out many times in my life, and later as a young adult I
would run into people who knew my grandpa and who’s lives had been touched so
deeply by him, they continued to break down as they shared their connection and
story with me, about my grandpa.
For this
reason, I’ve always felt nameless. Not like a person without a name, but more
of an individual blessed to call myself after my grandpa Kime, an amazing man.
I felt that the name was still his, not mine. I am called Kime, but the name is
still his. It’s like running outside of your house into a rainstorm, and you
grab your father’s jacket to wear to protect you from the storm. Even if your
father let’s you keep the jacket, and no matter how long you have the jacket,
in your mind the jacket is always your father’s.
Likewise,
my name has never really felt like my name. I have always felt privileged to
bare my grandfather’s name. Like the modern day LDS prophet George Albert
Smith, who had a dream that he met his grandfather, of the same name, hoped that
he had made him proud of by his works and kept honor and dignity to his name, I
too hope that when I meet my grandpa Kime again, I will be able to look him
straight in the eye and say ‘Grandpa Kime, I’ve tried my best to uphold the
honor and dignity of your name, by living a similar life of love and service.”
I hope that
my son (who I named after my grandpa, Kime Kinikini Lao, and not myself) has
similar experiences of strangers walking up to him, upon hearing his name, and
say to him “Kime….I knew a Kime once, he was a very kind gentleman.” I hope
that my Uncle Kime and my several cousins that bare the name Kime Kinikini feel
the same responsibility that I have and choose to honor our grandfather’s name
accordingly.
For this
reason, I can remember taking great offense when others would intentionally
mispronounce my name. It is an unusual name and very easy to confuse with many
names more feminine like ‘Kim’ or ‘Kimmy’. Few things in this life could bring
as much anger in my heart than to have someone purposefully make fun of my name,
not because I feel like they’re making fun of me, but because I feel they are
making fun of my grandfather’s name, who was a wonderful man! Of course they
don’t know the weight that is tied behind the name, or the meaning or importance
that I carry with it, which is the reason I can stay calm amidst other’s
ignorance and lack or respect for a name.
As I began,
what’s in the name? For some, it’s something that sounds nice, or pretty. For
others it’s completely random, spur of the moment type of decision. For many
it’s to commemorate an event like a sibling on a mission, or other momentous
event going on during their life. For my little family, each name is tied to an
individual that mean a lot to us. My older brother & grandpa Sateki, whom
my oldest son is named after, my wife’s maternal grandmother Salote Lasini
Wolfgramm who was battling cancer when my daughter was born and who’s name my
daughter now shares, my grandpa Kime Kinikini, who my 2nd son is
named after and my youngest son Heikoti, born when my youngest brother was
serving his mission in Texas, the only missionary of us siblings. Everyone has
different reasons behind the question, What’s in the name?
