My brother’s wife gave birth to a healthy baby girl called Zoe on July 5th, which makes me a proud uncle for the second time. Unfortunately, they live in Portland so I will not get the chance to meet the baby girl anytime soon but my mother and brother are traveling tonight to visit.

I cannot help but think of my dad in such times. He loved kids and they all loved him back. I remember this time I was driving back with Brian (He was 8 or 9 months old) and spotted my dad on the highway and as soon as Brian saw him, he smiled then wanted to get out of the car seat and go to him and he started crying all the way till we got home. Dad spent all his annual leave just to be there for my brother and his wife when Sophia, their first daughter, was born and he would have done the same and more now if he were around. It’s too bad that Zoe will never get to know her grandpa Bob.