TODAY’S HAPPINESS
One of the best, best reasons for being home again is getting to be with the kids. On Saturday night we all got together for a somewhat late celebration of Jonathan’s birthday. After having some small bites here at the apartment, we went to Nora’s Cafe in Palo Alto. It’s a French bistro. Amazingly, there was a whole table of French people behind us. I would recommend this place for the steak frites. The steak was delicious and the frites prepared correctly although a little on the less-than-hot side. We also shared an amazing rum raisin sundae for dessert. Lots of real rum over the top.
Anyway, while we were sitting about before we left for the restaurant, Jon and Ryan disclosed the name that they have chosen for Little Bruno. Now I admit it will be hard to think of him as anything other than Little Bruno but, really, probably not a name he would want for the rest of his life. Names carry such weight with them. There’s the whole being sensitive to how the child will be treated depending on his name. You want to have a good name for when the child is an adult. (I have an embarrassing story about this that I’ll post another day.) It’s important not to have a name that’s too confusing with other names in the household, like our John and Jonathan.
I knew that Ryan and Jon had been kicking around the names Nathan and Gabriel. Both were fine with me. So when they told us the first name, it wasn’t a surprise. But the middle name brought tears to my eyes. Our new grandson will be named Nathan Clark. Clark was my maiden name. It is Sarah’s middle name and my nephew’s middle name. Since my mom and dad only had girls, there was no carrying on of the name. But now it will make it to another generation. I am really touched. Thank you Ryan and Jon.