SANTA BABY

RILEY RUTHANNE RANTA

     At exactly 6:30 this morning, our family welcomed a new addition--and just in time for Christmas, too!
     Allow me to introduce my niece, Riley Ruthanne Ranta. She weighed 5 pounds and 12 ounces, and is cute as a button. I call her "Santa Baby" due to Christmas being only a few weeks away. Now, perhaps I'm biased, but everyone who welcomes a newborn into the fold has every right to boast and brag. It's purely part of tradition.
     As I was walking through the foyer of the hospital, I couldn't help but think about the comings and goings of my family. I couldn't help but think about little Riley and how much life's she's got and, at the same time, how none of us are promised our next breath. 
     It's times like these that teach me to never take life for granted, and to savor every sweet moment and to learn from every heart-wrenching tribulation. It's all part of the overall scheme of things. But for now, dear Riley, stay little. Dance clumsily at the age of two, and play dress-up at the age of seven. Try out for cheer leading as a teenager, and find your true love as a young adult. Experience everything life has to offer, dear heart.     
    But until then, just coo and laugh, and simply be our Santa Baby.