There's a new girl in town

Some friends of ours just had a baby. It is a girl and her name is Alice. Actually it is Alice Florence. I think it is a beautiful name.

I don’t want to brag or anything, but I think that they named the baby after me. See, my full name is Alicia, which is Spanish for Alice. It is pronounced A-lee-see-uh. People always mispronounce it and when I was little my parents told me that I could tell people to call me Alice if they had a difficult time with Alicia.

The name Alice means “noble” and “kind.” It fits me, I guess. (Anyone want to weigh in on that? Comments are open.)

In the late 70s there was a sitcom about a widow and her teenage son whose car breaks down in Phoenix. This determined woman becomes a waitress in Mel’s Diner. Hilarity ensued while this woman tried to make her way overcoming being sad and shy. This woman was named Alice and she was a new girl in town, feeling good, with a smile and a song for the neighborhood. Things were great standing on her own two feet, and with luck and love, life was sweet.

Alice was played by Linda Lavin and Damon is in possession (somewhere) of her autograph. He met her at Kowaliga restaurant, on Lake Martin, AL when he was younger.

Alice also had a co-worker named Flo (probably short for Florence). Flo is responsible for the catch phrase "kiss my grits."

Welcome to the world baby Alice! May you find that with God’s love, your parents love, your big brother’s love, that life really is sweet. May your first words be "kiss my grits." And if you want to tell people that you are named after me, that is perfectly fine.

P.S. I just learned that baby Alice shares a birthday with one Violet Garner-Affleck. I'm more excited about Alice.