Life full of hellos and goodbyes

Babies make me smile. Babies make me sing. Babies make me laugh at all the sweet sounds and funny faces they make, but the newest little baby in our lives does something else.

This little baby boy makes poetry happen.

I don’t know what it is about our new grandson Declan, but when he was less than 10 hours old, his 6 year-old sister, Mary, had already made up several poems about him.

Maybe it was the months of building excitement in his family, especially for his sisters and brother. Maybe it was the anticipation knowing this little boy was going to be born at home with a midwife. Maybe it was because he entered the world commanding attention and exclamation, weighing in at 9 pounds and 14 ounces.

Maybe it is because the Irish name Declan means “goodness,” and he has already blessed us with his own poetic blend of goodness, newness and hope. Maybe it is because God, “the great author of life,” decided that April 16, 2010, was the ideal day for this little boy to begin the poem of his life.

Whatever the reason, we’re all enthralled with little Declan. Here is one of Mary’s poems:

“Raining, showering; Babies flowering. Spring is here, Let’s all shout and cheer, A baby is here!” All babies are miracles, stanzas of sweetness and fresh poems of possibility.

Like Mary’s poem says, Declan makes us want to sing, shout and cheer, and we seem to hear God’s poetry everywhere.

And you can quote me on that.

Dear readers, life is filled with hellos and goodbyes, and I’m so excited about this hello to Declan. But it is with sadness that I must also say goodbye to this column — a result of budget cuts and changes in the newspaper. Thank you for the wonderful privilege of sharing life with you for the past 13 years. I know God has great plans for the future.