Today, my son was born.
My son. It seems weird to say (or
type) those words. It is an interesting
concept, life. Yesterday, it was just
me. And today, there are two of us. And for every day forward, there will be two
of us.
How to choose a name for your child? Everyone has thoughts on names, how to
choose, and suggestions. I, myself, had some criteria. I wanted a name that was
not common but that wasn’t “weird”. I wanted a name that was not trendy, and
was not going to be too popular. I
wanted a name that wasn’t going to end in a “y”. No Billys, Bobbys, or Tommys for me.
In some way, I wanted the name to honor my family. I had to look no further than my
grandfathers. While I never know my
paternal grandfather, his legacy is important to my father and his family. He died young in his early 60s. My maternal grandfather was an important
figure to me growing up. It was coffee
and donuts on Sundays, yard work, and “the man who could fix anything.” He passed away just before my senior year in
high school. The issue: their names were
Thomas and Robert. The solution: their
middle names.
While both men had fairly common first names, their middle
names were not as “regular”. Augustus
and Patton. It seems a fitting tribute
to both men that their legacy can live on in my son. Augustus was just the name I was looking for:
strong on its own with a great built in nickname, Gus. Patton remains perfect as a middle name to
honor the Canadian half of my heritage.
Once I settled on the name, I knew it was right!
A big thanks to Robert Nodwell and Thomas Lynch for their
love, affection, and raising of my parents and my aunts and uncles. They made their mark on their children and
grandchildren. Their spirits can carry
on one more generation further in Gus. I
will leave you speculating on my chosen name if Gus had been a girl!
(written Nov 26)
(written Nov 26)
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