A lovely set of photos was featured on the front page of this newspaper Wednesday, pix of the first baby born in 2021 at UP Health System-Marquette.

The year’s first bundle of joy weighed in at 6 pounds and 11.8 ounces and measured 20.5 inches

His name is Sam James and he was born to Meghan and Jack, Friday, Jan. 1, at 11 a.m.

It’s not unusual for the New Year’s baby to be featured in a newspaper. But after the tumultuous year that was 2020, we call special attention to the pix as we start another year.

With the global pandemic caused by COVID-19 still shutting down many things, people are stressed, not just economically but by fear of being hit by the virus and by frustration that things have not returned to “normal,” however one may define that.

And as demonstrated over and over, especially in the past few months, there is a great divide in our country about what direction the nation should take. That adds to the worry about what comes next.

All of which is why those photos were more important than ever. It can be easy to forget the joyful parts of life, like welcoming a baby to the family. A child’s first words. A Zoom connection with family who live far away.

Despite the rancor in the nation, we all must remember there are moments of great happiness that need to be celebrated.

Celebrated, too, should be the myriad examples of people helping people in our communities. Plus the bravery shown by frontline workers of all kinds must not be forgotten as the United States continues to battle the coronavirus, soon to reach the first anniversary of the initial shutdowns necessitated by the spread of the virus.

Those sweet photos are a reminder of a quote by American poet Robert Frost: “In three words, I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life. It goes on.”

Hold on to anything happy when you have the chance.