Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Louis and Kirsten Rivera and Welcome, Baby Evie!

December 31, 2020

“Until Eve arrived, this was a man’s world,” the humorist Richard Armour once wrote.

The very late author of whimsy also observed,” Most people’s hindsight is 20/20.”

Looking back, we’ve come a long way and showed our true mettle against an unseen, formidable foe during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The rambling thoughts occurred to me after I got my annual Snellen chart eye exam a week before December 25th.

With renewed vision I felt ready to see what the new year holds.

More foresight, less hindsight, I told myself.

And then something wonderful happened.

Early Christmas morning while at work, I got this message from my son Louis.

“Evangeline Rivera, 7 pounds and 6 ounces. Mom Kirsten and Baby Evie are both healthy,” the text said.

Seemingly, my hectic 12-hour shift at the Covid-19 unit as a respiratory care team member went by like a blur. Tired at the end of the day, I never felt better about getting so old.

Gladly, I share an open letter to the new addition(s) to our family.

Dearest Evie (by way of Louis and Kirsten),

First, a belated Happy Birthday to you!

You’re a Christmas baby just like your late Great Aunt Christine.

Second, I commend you for your fine taste in choosing your parents---Kirsten of Greenbrier, Tennessee and Louis of San Leandro, California.

You will one day find out that I have a wry sense of humor.

We would have visited you sooner, but these are tough and unsafe times for travel and congregation. I am looking forward to meeting you sometime next year, hopefully without donning any face mask and personal protective equipment.

You see, you arrived in the middle of a pandemic.

What is that you might ask. The world today is held with a vise grip by an invisible and formidable virus called SARS-CoV-2, also known as Covid-19. It has been going on for about 9 ½ months now.

Well, one day you’ll learn mathematics.

So, I am writing to just introduce myself and your loving family from sunny California.

We have a lifetime to catch up on things, not to worry.

I do not do much social media like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Snap Chat.

What I’m into is the site your mom and dad are reading for you right now.

It’s called PhilBoxing.com (and its sister website PinoyGreats.com)---a veritable, virtual Philippine Boxing Hall of Fame featuring the greatest Filipino fighters not named Manny Pacquiao gracing its pages on the world wide web.

Well, enough of my boxing bit and on to my version of social media.

Please enjoy the pictures I have attached.

Your mom and dad will explain each photo as time goes by.

Thank you for coming into our lives when we needed you the most.

Happy New Year 2021!

Lovingly,

Grandpa Noel