Damiana (age 6): Daddy, what does my name mean?
Everett: It’s the name of a beautiful flower in Mexico. We saw it when we first decided to have you.
Damiana (age 13): Daddy, I forget. Where did you get my name?
Everett: It’s the name of a flowering plant in the Baja of Mexico. Locals also make a liqueur out of it, and we had some when you were conceived. When we thought of names, we wanted something to connect you to that place, and we liked how Damiana sounded. It also means “one who soothes” in Greece.
Damiana (age 20, in Todos Santos, Baja, Mexico): So is this the place?
Everett: Sure is, the Todos Santos Inn. We drove here after Karyn Blyda and Craig Palmer’s wedding and to our surprise, you were conceived.
Damiana: Surprise? Didn’t anyone tell you where babies come from?
Everett: No, smartypants, only Georgetown grads like your mother get confused like that. Now that we’re here, we can tell you the true story—the locals believe the damiana plant is an aphrodisiac, and since you were a surprise, we figured it was the damiana that did it. I started calling you Damiana when you were the size of a peanut and it stuck.
Damiana: Oh, Dad (eye roll) I Googled that when I was 10. I just like hearing you tell the story.
5.16.2006
What does Damiana mean?
Damiana (age 6): Daddy, what does my name mean?
Everett: It’s the name of a beautiful flower in Mexico. We saw it when we first decided to have you.
Damiana (age 13): Daddy, I forget. Where did you get my name?
Everett: It’s the name of a flowering plant in the Baja of Mexico. Locals also make a liqueur out of it, and we had some when you were conceived. When we thought of names, we wanted something to connect you to that place, and we liked how Damiana sounded. It also means “one who soothes” in Greece.
Damiana (age 20, in Todos Santos, Baja, Mexico): So is this the place?
Everett: Sure is, the Todos Santos Inn. We drove here after Karyn Blyda and Craig Palmer’s wedding and to our surprise, you were conceived.
Damiana: Surprise? Didn’t anyone tell you where babies come from?
Everett: No, smartypants, only Georgetown grads like your mother get confused like that. Now that we’re here, we can tell you the true story—the locals believe the damiana plant is an aphrodisiac, and since you were a surprise, we figured it was the damiana that did it. I started calling you Damiana when you were the size of a peanut and it stuck.
Damiana: Oh, Dad (eye roll) I Googled that when I was 10. I just like hearing you tell the story.
