Steve Alessi: Author of Alessi’s Angle, Pastor of Metro Life Church in Miami, Husband of World Renown Worship Leader Mary Alessi and Father of Four. 
I read
this cute little story about two little boys who were standing in the church
lobby after Sunday School one day. As they were talking a pretty little girl
from their class walked by them. One of the little guys said to the other,
"When I quit hating girls, she's the first one I'm going to quit
hating." Well, I remember the first girl I ever fell for and she was my
mom, Ann Alessi. I would like to dedicate this blog to her as she celebrates
another birthday.
I'm not
sure exactly when she decided to stay with the blonde hair, I just recall how
it made me feel on our trip to Mexico City when I was a young teenager. Our
family didn't take many trips back then as finances were tight and dad just
couldn't stand to be away from the Church, so this vacation was a pretty big
deal for us all. Yet only two things about the trip stand out in my mind. Bull
fights and the fact that my mom with her blonde hair got the attention of way
too many Mexican men. It drove me crazy and I can remember being mad at my dad
when we would walk down the busy streets and he would be ten paces ahead. I
felt like it was my duty to walk next to my mother to try and protect her from
the whistles and jeers of the men who would drive by.
Truth is,
my mom rarely needed anyone to protect her, as she's always been a strong
woman. Another trip we took as a family had us high up in the Colorado
Mountains. The day's adventure took us tubing, snowmobiling on a guided
excursion, and the evening was spent around a big campfire and barbecue. When
we arrived at the snowmobiles, I recall a discussion as to how dad & mom
wanted to ride together, but that was quickly decided against by mom because
she wanted to ride one by herself. So off we all went up the mountain and
through the snow filled wooded terrain with my sisters and their husbands following
close behind the guide. And once again I found myself in the rear close to mom
and wouldn't you know it, she rode that thing like a pro...that is until we hit
this turn and for some reason she didn't turn at all, but instead drove that
snowmobile right off the path and into a huge ditch of snow. We all jumped off
our rides with screams of "mom" and rushed to her side to only find
her laying packed in the snow laughing at herself. Funny thing was, when we
finally righted the snowmobile and helped her back to her feet, we pulled back
the hood from her coat and sure enough, not a single hair was out of place. Her
blonde hair was just perfect.
Now you
need to know that if there's one thing we can joke about with mom, it's her
blonde hair. Though we've come a long way since the Mexico City vacation in the
70's and have been through challenges that have changed us as a family, the one
thing that hasn't changed is mom's hair. It doesn't matter where we are or what
we're doing, we can always point her out in the crowd just by looking for her
blonde hair. Such was the case last year when she and dad went out to
California to see the premier of my sister Debbie's first movie, Machine Gun
Preacher. On the red carpet, right behind Gerard Butler, you can pin point mom
in the picture with her blonde hair. And, of course for those who know her, if
you ever need mom on Saturday morning around 11:00 AM, you'll find her at the
beauty shop getting her hair done. Same time, same color, same style, ever
since we can all remember.
Thankfully
our family has enjoyed a lot more great vacations and have fought through
serious opposition that would fill a book full of victorious stories of faith.
Due to the private nature of the ministry, so many of those stories have never
been told, but if they were, the constant through each of them would be the
strong constitution of my mother. No matter what we faced, it was always her
goal to get us through it so we can just be together as a family and have fun.
So on
this her birthday, I wish to say to her publicly, THANK YOU Mom!
Thank
you...
- For your high tolerance of pain, which has taught your family to never quit, no matter how tough things may get.
- For your devotion and dedication to your 50 plus years of marriage, so much that Debbie & Darlene and I still remain married to the loves of our youth.
- For the Godly heritage of faith that's been passed down to your grandchildren (Alessi, Giarratana & Rivera).
- For staying active and always being the beautiful blonde that just wants all of us to be together and have fun.
Happy
Birthday from all your kids!
Debbie,
Ray, Angela & John
Darlene,
Robin, Rob, Daniel & Nick
Steve,
Mary, Christopher, Stephanie, Lauren & Gabrielle
Anyone
else interested in wishing Ann Alessi a Happy Birthday...
ABSOLUTELY!!! - Happy Birthday Sister Ann... You light up a room like no other; and that's not because of your blond hair; it is because of your warm heart.
Blessings... The Gomez Family (Armando, Ana, Alexis, Addison, Aydan & Aarik)
Happy Birthday Pastor Ann. You will probably never fully know how much you have impacted Mory and I. Not just because of how much your son means to us but because you have always been an example of Beauty, Strength and Grace. Your never say never and never say quit attitude has been an inspiration to us for over 20 years. Your committment to family no matter the personal sacrifice has always given me a glimpse into God's love for us. I think we should make a new bracelet with WWPAD, "What Would Pastor Ann Do". Thank you for being a woman of God and creating a legacy for all of us to draw from. May God Bless you abundantly on your birthday.
The Martinez Family (David, Mory, Nick, Gaby, Cristina, Michael and soon to be grandchild)
Happy Birthday Pastor Ann!!!! I would love to sit with you, and have a free-for-all at any all questions with regards to raising kids, establishing legacy in them, and not losing your mind will doing it all. It's funny, this weekend I was thinking, as I said my youngest son's name for the hundredth time just that morning, that I've wanted to be a mom ever since I can remember. However, the very thing I've longed for and have, glory be to God, is the very same thing that zaps me off all energy and mental stability. So my calendar is always open for time with you, Pastor Ann. From mom to mom.
Happy Birthday Grandmommie! This blog explains everything about you! It shows how amazing you are! I love you so much Grandmommie, I don't think I could ever explain how much :) Love you!
Happy birthday to our Sister Ann. I hope she knows what a mentor she is to many of us ladies. She always has such a sweet spirit that you can't help but feel so comfortable around her. However you also feel her strength as and you know she is a powerful force in your family. She blessed me during a very emotional time after Nick and Gaby left for Boston. She told me it was okay to cry and I sure did cry! Thanks Sister Ann for being so real and being such a godly role model.
Happy Birthday!
It's a joy to celebrate YOU!
Thank you for all the love you've brought to our family :)
love,
Marvelyne & Marcus
and kiddo's :)
Happy BELATED Birthday Pastor Ann! I haven't had the great pleasure of meeting you, but I always tell my son that he's a reflection of me that being said I get to enjoy the reflection of you through Pastor Steve who has turned out to be an amazing Man of Christ (Well Done BRAVO).. In knowing the legacy you have made I include you as one of my Hero's and pray that this added year of life will bring forth more continued strength, power and pour of blessings and yes much more "LOL (lots of laughs), stop i'm in stitches" moments! Love you through the love of the ONE that binds us all together Jesus Christ. Kiss Hug and High 5!