What's in a Name?

I'm thinking of naming the baby. At first I resisted the idea, it just seemed...odd. But then I thought of the perfect name for the baby. It's Shakespearean, embedded with lots of meaning. I still dismissed it. But then I realized in talking with a friend that I could name the baby for myself without broadcasting it. Like so many things, it could be something that only the two of us shared.

I was getting rid of the flowers Ben brought home last week. I wanted to try to save a few as a memento. The best book I have for pressing flowers is, of course, my complete works. I wanted to put the flowers on the page where that potential name was listed in the dramatis personae. That's when I realized I had already named the baby. The name, in fact, hadn't left me all day. It seemed it was there to stay whether I liked it or not.

I'll tell Ben the name. If you ask me in casual conversation, I'll tell it to you. And it does, oddly, give me a little more peace. Her namesake's story is one of loss, grief, redemption, and reunion - a sad story with a happy ending. It gives me hope.