I just got back from New York where I went to welcome my new grandson into the world. How easily we forget just how tiny a newborn is, or how sweet to have one cuddle trustingly against one's chest in sleep. I even enjoyed the peaceful magic of rocking him in the dark, quiet hours of the night while his Mommy slept.

It was fun spending time with his big sisters - at least they call themselves big. At 3 and 5 and petite, they are hardly all that big. But they are funny, smart and entertaining. We read books, baked, went to the park, made puzzles and lots of other things. Enjoyed spending time with my daughter too. I get far too little time with her and she's such a wonderful person, that's a shame.

A couple weeks back my sister-in-law sent me the obituary for a man I once worked with in the Cursillo movement. His wife, Ginny, had served on one of my teams back in the 70s and it turned out they had been wintering not that far from where I've now moved. I sent her a sympathy card and included my business card. Turns out the world is smaller than even I thought - one of her sons lives in my own city. It sure was fun catching up with Ginny when she came to visit her son.

At Christmas I got a card from a couple I knew even longer ago - Carol was my roommate in the hospital when my second daughter was born, we hit it off and became friends. But then I moved away from New Jersey, and eventually so did she. But her card informed me that she and her husband, Barry, now spend their winters in Florida. My card going back to her included my phone numbers and last week, she called. Today Carol and Barry drove out to the beach where I live and we managed to gab up a storm for almost six hours - what a fantastic visit.

Like the song I used to sing when I was in the Girl Scouts says, "make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold. I had a golden afternoon today. Thank you, Carol and Barry. I can't wait for our next chance to get together and I'm looking forward to seeing Ginny next summer when I go to the memorial service for Art.