|
The
TowneLaker's
2005
Mother of the Year
Amy
McNeal
They've
known us longer and better than anyone else in our lives. They've been
there through the good times and the bad, and they've loved us through
it all. They are our mothers, of course, and every year in May, we honor
them. The TowneLaker received numerous letters describing some
very special mothers and the amazing impact they have made in their children's
lives - the decision was not easy. One letter, however, written by Ryan,
Megan and Cole McNeal, stole the Community Board's hearts, and the honor
of The TowneLaker Mother of the Year has been bestowed on Amy McNeal.
Dan
McNeal was deployed to Iraq in March 2004 and safely returned in February
of this year, leaving Amy to be both mom and dad to their three young
children, Ryan age 8, Megan age 7 and Cole age 2, at the time. Dan said
while he received his 15 minutes of fame and appreciation for serving
our country, it was Amy who was the hero. "She never admitted to me how
hard it was while I was gone. She was always so strong, and she kept the
faith, and I know she did it because of our three children," he said.
"Never once did she ever let on how scared she was, even when she could
hear bombs going off in the background during our conversations," he continued.
He recalled when Ryan, in particular, was missing his dad, Amy would pull
out one of Dan's T-shirts for Ryan to sleep in, as well giving Ryan Dan's
pillow. That pillow case was never washed until Dan came home.
To
suddenly be put in the position of being a single parent is daunting,
and rather than "white knuckling" her way through the experience, Amy
tried to make life as normal as possible. "Of course, I was sad for the
first few days. So were the children. But I knew they were looking at
me to lead and set the tone, and as much as we all missed him, I knew
that normalcy would be the best thing for them." That included celebrating
every holiday with friends and family, attending every baseball and softball
game of Ryan's and Megan's, and going on family vacations.
Amy
also had to endure the stress of going to the emergency room for her children,
not once but three times - once for Ryan's broken arm, once for Megan's
illness which occurred out of town in Gatlinburg, and once for Cole's
stitches.
As
a mother, Amy hopes to instill in her children the value of family and
teamwork. "Last year, we had to stick together and work together. It was
the only way we were going to get through it," she said. "I had so much
help and support from my friends and family, especially my mother-in-law."
Amy's
children are happy to have their dad home safe and sound, and it's evident
the past year has created a very unique and sweet bond to their mother
and to one another. Ryan said, "My mom is very special to me. She always
makes my favorite chicken pot pie for my birthday, and she helped us to
miss our dad less when he was gone." Megan said simply, "She just loves
us so much."
Amy
was truly humbled by this honor and feels she didn't do anything extraordinary.
However, when you look at the faces of her children, especially when they
talk about her, you know Amy is indeed the Mother of the Year.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our
Mom should be mother of the year because she's not just our Mom, she's
our HERO. Last March, my Dad got called to go fight in the war in Iraq.
Our Mom now became Mom and Dad. For 1 year, she had to do everything.
She never complained or showed us how worried she was for our Dad in Baghdad.
She is so special because she made us feel safe even though our Dad was
gone. She made sure we didn't miss out on anything. She took us to Gatlinburg
for Easter vacation and California in the summer. Those aren't easy trips
for a Mom and 8, 7, and 2 year old. But she did it for us. She was there
to comfort me when I broke my arm. She dealt with our melt downs and temper
tantrums without Dad. She never complained about not being able to sleep
in for a year or never having a "Girls night out." She always put us first.
She did all this and worked full time. She made sure we always had a home
cooked dinner. She never missed any of my baseball games or Cub Scout
meetings or Megan's softball games. She always tucked us in at night and
prayed for Dad's safe return. She never got to bed until late because
she had to clean the house and do our laundry after we went to bed. She
took out the trash and fixed things when they broke around the house.
She never had a break. But she found time to take me to the Braves game
for my birthday. We had dugout seats and that made me feel so special.
Mom has taught us how important family is and we grow stronger and closer
every day. Dad is home now and we can celebrate all the holidays that
he missed - especially Mother's Day! And this is why our Mom is our HERO!
- Ryan McNeal, age 9,
Megan McNeal, age 8, Cole McNeal, age 3
|
|
