Andrew’s 21st Birthday!
September 3rd…
This is a day with such mixed emotions. September 3, 1992 was one of the three happiest days of my life. I was blessed to become a Dad, the role I wanted more than anything in life, for the second time.
On that day in North Jersey, I could truly say that our family was complete. From that moment on, we would always be a “Family of Four”. Nothing could ever change that…not even leukemia.
Today is Andrew’s 21st birthday. Do we “celebrate” it? Certainly not the way most of you celebrate birthdays, but it is still a celebration. It was and will forever be a very, very special day. God blessed us with Andrew John McDonough on that day. I love looking at the picture of Ali holding her brother for the very first time. She was ALWAYS so protective of him and as he got older, he saw his role as being her protector as well. I honestly could not have asked for a better relationship between my kids. Words cannot describe how close they were and will always be. I honestly could not have asked for a better relationship with my son and I know Chris feels the same way. Andrew had this unique gift of making his time with everyone so special.
Yes, Andrew only celebrated 14 birthdays on Earth, but up until he went into the hospital, those were 14 incredibly fabulous years!
Yes, I wish I could give Andrew a hug and kiss on this birthday and warn him to be careful on his 21st birthday. For those of you who know me well, that’s my job — to worry. 🙂 But, I don’t have to worry about anything with Andrew anymore. But, we also don’t get to hang out with him and make those special memories…and boy, do we miss him!
Andrew, I know you’re making memories and celebrating in Heaven. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do some day.
For everyone reading this, don’t miss your opportunity to make memories today. You never know how many ‘tomorrows’ you have.
Thank you, God, for letting us be Andrew’s parents and sister.
Happy Birthday, Andrew!!!
We love you!
Mom, Dad, & Ali
