Andrea Dawn

Today is a special day. It's Andrea Dawn (Neumann) McGuire's birthday. I will try to describe her and all she has brought to our family this way:

A - is for our Andi, who we all A-dore!!! It sounds cliche but I often describe her this way - to know her is to love her - and we certainly do! We believe she was heaven-sent and the perfect mate for Michael.

N - is for Neumann. It is a significant thing when two families are joined together by marriage. In our case, being joined with the Neumann clan is nothing less than a blessing! Once you meet Andi's parents and siblings, you quickly see how she became the special person she is today. We are happy to share life's most precious moments with them, together with Michael & Andi.

D - is for believing Dreams really do come true! If I could have gotten inside my son's mind and seen his dreams of what his wife would be, I'm certain Andi's face would appear. Again, sounding cliche, but true, they complete one another, in deep, fun, and loving ways.

R - is for Relationships. When you have a son and he takes a wife, you just hope the relationships you've had with him will remain strong. Close-knit families can be intimidating, or even viewed as threatening. Because Andi, too, comes from a close-knit family, she values its importance and I see our family bonds growing only deeper.

E - is for Effervescent which, by definition, means "giving off bubbles" and that's exactly what she does. She is bubbly and it's infectious! The least little things excite her, she is easy to please, and always very appreciative. The same, beautiful smile can be seen on her face every day!

A - Adoring! It should be noted that the piece that pleases me the most about Andi being Michael's wife is the way she, quite simply, adores him.  A nice reward for always being such an adoring and loving son and brother. He now receives all that he has given, and then some.

This ends my acrostic of A.N.D.R.E.A. If you haven't met her, I wish you could. I know you would love her too!

9/11 ~ The Day America Changed Forever

This is always a sad day of remembrance but one we will never forget. We will never forget where we were, exactly what we were doing, when the news of the planes crashing into the trade towers was reported. I was at work when the receptionist rushed through my office to get to the office of the superintendent to tell him what was happening. I froze in confusion and disbelief only to stand by and watch it continue to unfold before my eyes on television. My first reaction was to contact my immediate family to make sure they were all okay. Even though we were all hundreds of miles away, we all felt vulnerable and it was frightening. I cannot imagine how family members with loved ones living in New York City, working in New York City, protecting New York City, must have felt. I believe grace is given in the measure needed so I hope that was true for every person involved first-hand in the awful events of that day. Even so, terror was real, and they felt it up close and too personal. I plan to watch the news programs scheduled for today because as sad as all of it was and still is today, it makes me truly proud to be an American when I see the faces of the brave, heroic people, some who lived and some who died, on the day America changed forever ~ 9/11/2001. I think of the family members that were left to live on without their loved ones and my heart aches for them. They are all brave and courageous souls too. And I never want to forget that...

If tomorrow all the things we're gone I'd worked for all my life,

and I had to start again, with just my children and my wife,

I'd thank my lucky stars to be living here today,

Cause the flag still stands for freedom, and they can't take that away.

I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free,

And I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me,

And I gladly stand up, next to her and defend her still today.

Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land....

God Bless the USA!

P.S. I just listened to an interview with former NYC Mayor, Rudy Giuliani. He said he remembers 9/11 every day. Sometimes it's remembered as the worst day of his life and other times he remembers the heroic acts, some known only to him. He recalled the older man who allowed three elevators full of people to get on before him when someone tried to get him to get on himself. The older  man responded, "I've already lived my life." Mayor Giuliani did not say whether the man lived or died. Either way, he is a hero of monumental proportions. It restores your faith in mankind and the belief that there are angels among us!

"I Distinctly Remember Forgetting That."

Today started out good, with a gentle nudge from the Lord to forget about something that, when it came to mind, has bothered me for over a year now. It was an unexpected hurt that to this day I do not understand. But that doesn't matter anymore. Today is the day I am going to remember forgetting that!


I am in the middle of a Bible study series by Dr. David Jeremiah called Law Meets Grace, much of which I will quote below. Today's lesson spoke to my heart and I'm glad to know He's still working on me! This is what I got from the lesson:


Jesus did His best work when He released bitterness, forgave those who offended Him, and showed grace to the world. Following His example, Clara Barton never harbored resentments. One time a friend recalled to her a cruel thing that had happened to her some years previously, but Clara seemed not to remember it. "Don't you remember the wrong that was done to you?" asked the friend. "No," answered Clara. "I distinctly remember forgetting that." This made me think about what I was still holding on to and needed to let go of. It's only by God's grace we can do this successfully. The lesson went on to say that God has extended his grace to us, and that grace is all-sufficient. From the fullness of His grace, we have received one blessing after another. His grace is greater than all our sin, and the richness of His grace meets all our needs. In return, we're called to live humbly and obediently toward Him, not because we must (Law) but because we long to please Him (Grace). We are to:

• Be humble
• Be gracious
• Be obedient to Christ
• Be warm
• Be kind
• Be willing to distinctly forget the offense and bury the quarrel

This is a much better way to live! I thank God for His all-sufficient grace that gives to me what I don't deserve and His mercy that withholds from me what I do deserve. I am thankful, too, that His mercies are new every morning! This beautiful hymn came to my mind as I thought about these truths:

Great is thy faithfulness, O God, my Father,

there is no shadow of turning with thee.

Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not;

As thou hast been, thou forever wilt be!

Great is thy faithfulness, great they faithfulness,

morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed, thy hand hath provided;

Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,  full of grace and truth."  John 1:14

Labor Day

Well, this is it. The last long weekend of summer. Fall is such a beautiful time of year, it's hard not to look forward to it, but summer is a time when we get outside more, spend more time with family, bar-b-q, walk, all the things we love best! I'm thankful for 4-day work weeks all summer and vacation time too. When I think back on when we started our family, the plan did not include me working outside the home. As we all know, plans change, and sometimes not of our own doing. With two small children, unemployment changed our plans and mommy went to work while daddy stayed home. Both of us were unhappy about it.  We had no choice but to deal with the hand that was dealt us, and we did. We all survived, including the two little ones. Sometimes I wonder if I would have been a better mom if I had stayed home, would I have been more patient, energetic, flexible. I also wonder if we would have had more children. All of that appeals to me but I don't look back with regret, just wonder. I think I learned and grew the most during those times. We tend to do that when things aren't just so. I guess when they are, we become complacent and satisfied and that's not a good thing. Now I look at my family and admire them for who they are, what they have become. Not because of me but because of what God does when you trust Him with all that you've got, with everything that matters, with the future that you have absolutely no control over. 
This is what matters most to me this Labor Day 2010:

"Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his. He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him."  Daniel 2:20-22