Dear Siena Rae,

Dear Siena Rae,

You won’t remember this, but I just saw you for the first time and I already love you so much. I loved you so much before I even met you. Isn’t that crazy?

I wanted to give you a heads up. The world is crazy right now. Very crazy. 

There is a bully halfway around the world beating up his neighbor just because they want to live differently than he does.

People in our country cannot get along. Even the ones making the really important decisions for us. They treat each other really, really, bad. It’s awful. They lie all the time. No one knows what is really going on.

There’s been this really awful disease that is killing people. Kajillions of people. People argue about that too. Hopefully, the worst of that is behind us, and you’ll never have to really experience it.

I hope things get better as you get older, but I’m not sure it will. If someone told me 10 years ago that the world would be this crazy, I would have called them crazy.

I must admit, I am a little worried about what the world will be like in your future. Will that bully pick a fight with our country? Will the important people in charge make better decisions? What will school be like for you? Will robots teach classes? Will there be parochial schools in Quincy? Will there be enough food for everyone? Will a big bomb blow up a bunch of cool stuff?

Whatever happens, I just want you to know I love you. As long as I am here, I will help and protect you. So will your Oma. And your other grandparents. So will mommy and daddy. Don’t forget your two big brothers. They already scare me, so just wait until they grow up. 

Welcome to the world sweetie. Remember what your patron saint St. Catherine of Siena said, “Be what God meant you to be and set the world on fire.”

Ron and Mary Kinscherf’s latest beautiful grandchild — Siena Rae.