The tree outside my office window has been gradually changing colors. The green leaves have turned a reddish orange color. In a couple of weeks, a blanket of leaves will offer a mantel of protection to my garden.

The tree will look lifeless and bare through the winter months and then one day as if by magic, and when I least expect it, new life will spring forth.

On Oct. 20, 2008, our beloved mother lost her battle with cancer. Thirteen days later, on Nov. 7, we welcomed my nephew Lazaro Tomas Fernandez. An 8-pound bundle of joy sent to our family to help us heal, and to remind us that God continues to bless us.

There is no greater joy than the birth of child. Babies are the spring time of life. His birth has brought us hope.

Peering through the glass window of the hospital we watched my nephew getting his first bath. Who does he look like? What will he be like?

At home his sisters have been anticipating his arrival. Throughout their mother's pregnancy the girls poured their love on their little brother by kissing and hugging their mommy's tummy.

An abundance of sisterly love awaits this little boy. He will have three mothers instead of one. He will be looked after and pampered and one day, when he can't take all the pink love anymore, he'll go out into the world and do the boy stuff.

If my nephew is anything like his father, my sister-in-law is in for an interesting ride. I remember a brother who climbed on and jumped off everything you can imagine. He loved firecrackers and exploded toy soldiers and many other things too cruel to mention.

One of his favorite pasttimes was to sit under my parents oak tree in our Larkspur home and shoot down sparrows and then feed them to our cat Kitty.

The Fernandez girls are in for a treat!

My brother, who has been surrounded by women, will now have a partner in crime. He'll have someone to go bird hunting with that won't cry when he kills an innocent little bird.

After all the ballet recitals he's sat through, he will now get to watch his son play baseball, soccer or basketball. Maybe, he'll even be a good tennis player like his dad.

The birth of my nephew is very much like the ray of sunlight breaking through the clouds on a gloomy day. He has reminded us that the sun always shines whether we see it or not.

Maria Luisa Salcines is a freelance writer, certified parent educator and corporate empowerment consultant with The International Network for Children and Families in Redirecting Children's Behavior, Redirecting for a Cooperative Classroom, and Redirecting Corporate America. Contact her at her Web site at www.redirectingchildrenrgv.org.