Rob Lifford

Well, it’s impossible to forget that 2004 ended tragically for India, Sri Lanka, and so much of southeast Asia, but it helps to remember that tragedies also bring out the best in humankind. Let’s hope that the generosity of people’s money, time, and ingenuity (flowing through the usual relief agencies and projects such as BlogAid, as just one small example), continues well into the new year.

In spite of the sadness surrounding that unbelievable disaster, an overwhelming feeling of hope and happiness carries Cheris and me into the new year, and of course that’s because our first-born will be arriving very soon. Here’s a picture of that beautiful baby belly on Cheris, taken on Christmas day in Corpus Christi, where we had a wonderful holiday (thanks again, Mike and Ann!). Yes, those are reindeer antlers, not some weird new hairstyle on Cheris.

In the nearly-too-surreal-to-believe department, we actually had about six inches of snow in Corpus, but I’ll have to save that story (and hopefully some pictures) for another post — time to go relax on the sofa and feel that kid kick.

A very happy and healthy 2005 to you and yours!