"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born."

Every child begins the world again.... Henry David Thoreau

I always get a very happy feeling every time someone we know and love has a baby come into their lives. This little fella here was just born yesterday and already the talk about whom he resembles is flying. I think it's safe to say he's a good-looking little tacker and will be for the rest of his life, given the good-looking gene pool that he just hopped out of.

He's Angela and Billy's baby. We've been waiting for him to get here for, what, nine months now, and he arrived in the wee small hours of a Monday morning. But here's a story of how we know his family.

Angela was my first assistant when I went to the job I transferred out of a year ago, and she was my good right hand for several years until she transferred over to become a county police, a job at which she has done very well. In fact, she wore the uniform right up until the baby got here the other day! Her grandfather had been with the department we all work(ed) for, so Angie knew and loved everyone there, and was known and loved by everyone there. She is just one of those people that women love and men love and children just fall all over to hang with, because she is so pretty and so kind and always wants to be nice to everyone.

So when she left us, I was able to hire an equally-splendid woman named Beth to be my assistant, and hired Angela's brother Danny to work in the store room, until he decided to go become a police too. By then we had already hired their younger sister Amanda to be our receptionist and all-around helper-outer.

And of course, Danny and Amanda are both great people too with marvelous senses of humor and personalities. You get around them all at some gathering, and you feel like one of them, and it's an honor.


Looking back, I'm only sorry that I transferred out before I had the chance to hire their youngest sister Jessie, but, I'm only one man, and I can only appoint so many members of the same family to positions. But they're all good people and they make me feel like part of the family.

So Angie and husband Billy have been blessed now with this little bundle! And you know what I like the most about someone having a baby is that the little one is starting out and can be anything they want to be. The future is limitless, and bless all three as they enter the new world of diaper changes, 2 AM feedings and tears over who knows what? Think of all that's ahead for this little guy! He'll graduate high school in 2028, and who knows what wonders the world will know then, and where his place in the world is going to be?

Only God knows, but if love and happiness from family and friends are enough to help Austin find love and happiness, then he's going to be just fine. All the best to you, little guy!