For some reason my dear mother was named Gladys - a very Welsh name for a very English lady. We had not a smidgen of Welshness in our family history that we know of. Her sisters were Madge, May, Edith, and of course I wonder now, when it's far too late to question, how they got their names too. Gladys never liked her name, saying it was not only Welsh, but old-fashioned, and it didn't fit her personality!
A little research tells me Gladys is derived from Gwladys or Gwladus, and it means royalty (princess), or the flower gladiolus. I think my mother would have been pleased had she known those facts. She came close to royalty as a dressmaker to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (our present Queen's mother), and she grew the most beautiful gladioli (sword lilies) in our garden when I was a child!
Gladys, me (c. 1991)................and Gladys!
Last week the mail brought a quite unexpected parcel from my blog friend Claudia of Mockingbird Hill Cottage in New York. Inside was 'Gladys', sweet little half of a salt and pepper set! Claudia had received her in a group of vintage trinkets from a friend and shown her on the blog. When I commented how I would have had a few tears if I opened a package and actually found something with my mother's name on it, bless her heart, she packaged little china Gladys up and sent her along to me.
Did I shed tears? You bet I did!
Blogging friends are the best. Thank you again dear Claudia, your thoughtfulness is so appreciated.
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