Since last I wrote in 2024, there has been much movement!

They say “time flies when we’re having fun” and its practically rocketed past this last year: with our youngest son Lochie marrying Alex in February and having to keep the secret of new pregnancy for Maddie and Tom!

At age 64, I will become a grandfather this September and I’ll be known as Pa, just like my Dad.

There has been a pulsating excitement since the news broke in January, and I’m long into the zone of buying things for the boy. Having had a love of Matchbox cars as a child, this young man will not want for anything! I had started collecting before we knew the gender. The spare room is in the process of being set up with a spare cot and changing table so that I, along with Maddie’s parents Julie and Simon, will be ready for action when called for babysitting duties!

Much of the excitement is also seeing our children navigate the unknown world of their first child and seeing the broader family gather to join in this time together. This reminds me of us when my wife and I were first expecting with so much planning and so little knowledge, that happiness and fear of responsibility all rolled into one. We got there as so many do, and our children and grandchildren will be just fine.

Both sides of the family are loving and supportive, and I know that my future grandchildren will know the strength and warmth that this brings. I wish for family dinners filled with laughter, holidays steeped in tradition, everyday moments that become cherished memories, and understanding and kindness.

As children, we grew up hearing “Never see a need without doing something about it” and it’s so important that the next generations grow up hearing this story with that same mindset, that same empathy, that will sustain the spirit of St Mary MacKillop and of all the Sisters of Saint Joseph well into the future.

Stay tuned!

David (Pa) Cotton
Josephite Companion