The Naming Ceremony

We have been in this hotel for going on three weeks now, and when you see the same people day after day, it's only natural that some kind of relationship develops. I am friends now with two Jennies; one Jenny usually does up our room, and the other works breakfast. It's breakfast Jenny that I want to write about today.

We were hoping for a lovely day on Sunday, as that was the day of her new grandson's naming ceremony. It was to be held outdoors, down on one of the terraced lawns overlooking Chesil Beach. The day turned out perfect...sunny and warm. Today Jenny brought pictures and other mementos of the event to show me, and I was delighted to see them. First of all, I had never heard of a naming ceremony. Reading the printed program, I decided that it was sort of like a christening but less formal...perhaps a bit less ecclesiastical. The chaplain who conducted the ceremony made references to God, but readings took the place of prayers. Instead of godparents, young William got mentors, a couple who committed to staying involved in his life and helping to steer him down the straight and narrow. The friends and family who gathered as witnesses were likewise charged with similar responsibility.

Following the ceremony, lunch was served. Jenny had prepared for each guest a white paper bag (the fold-up kind with a paper handle) and attached William's hand and foot prints, printed in blue ink, to the sides of the bags. Sandwiches, crisps, fruit, sweets, and a beverage were all in there...a proper Sunday picnic. Everyone sat on blankets spread out on the grass and enjoyed a lovely day together.

Some day those pictures, that white paper bag with his hand and foot prints on it, and the program that his grandmother saved for him should be very meaningful for William.