Yesterday, we welcomed into the world our fourth grandchild born in the short space of 3 1/2 years, and the first boy among them. Daniel William Samford, Jr., who will be nicknamed “Bo”, was born at 10:31 a.m. CST. He weighed in at a healthy 8 pounds and is 21 inches tall. Mother and child are all doing well and expect to get home from the hospital tomorrow.
While his parents plan to call him Bo, he has a name of which he should be very proud. He is named for his father Daniel and for his late Great-Uncle Dan, two of the finest young men I have ever been proud to know. He has big shoes to fill in both cases, and I wish he could have known Dan, who would have been in his mid-fifties now if he hadn’t died so tragically in an accident at too young an age.
Yesterday was a fabulous February day to come into the world. It was sunny and beautiful in Alabama and temperatures reached a high of 65, as has happened often in this unseasonable winter. Bo’s mother Emily has been ready for this delivery for the last few weeks, and finally the doctor told them to come to the hospital yesterday morning at 5 a.m. Emily got the job done quickly and by the time I arrived around 11, she was sitting up in bed looking beautiful with a room full of family.
So here’s what’s in the news on your birthday Bo. There’s an economic crisis going on in Europe because several of the countries there seem to have enormous and unsustainable budget deficits, which is affecting the value of the currency for all of Europe. There is continuing chaos and threats of war among countries in the Middle East. Here in the U.S., there are some signs of the beginning of an economic recovery as employment is slowly starting to grow again and housing prices might finally be near the bottom. Interest rates are lower than they have been in my entire lifetime, and it is hoped this will stimulate economic growth. The Republican Party is holding primaries to select a presidential candidate for the next election, a very ugly process to watch.
All-in-all though, your family is doing well and you’re being born at a great time for all of us. You have lots of doting grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. You have great parents who look forward to watching you grow, and you have two wonderful big sisters who will no-doubt boss you around for the rest of your life. Your Dad is especially excited to have someone to teach to hunt and fish and play golf. You’re in for a great life.
So welcome to the world big guy. We can’t wait to get to know you better.