[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17160]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          ALEXANDRA JOY MASSA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ERIC J.J. MASSA

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 8, 2009

  Mr. MASSA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to address this esteemed body 
regarding a young woman who at this moment, in my home town of Corning, 
New York, is preparing to close an important chapter in her life. 
Alexandra Joy Massa has spent the last decade growing into the 
beautiful young woman that she is today, working tirelessly to achieve 
exceptional grades, to excel in sports and in theater, and to serve her 
community through multiple volunteer efforts. Alexandra is my daughter, 
and today is her graduation day from high school, a monumental moment 
in her life and in the life of her parents. It's impossible to believe 
that eighteen years have passed since she became a part of my life, and 
that soon she will be heading off to college.
  Many of my colleagues have children of their own and they understand 
all too well the joys, fears, hopes, and anxieties that come with 
parenthood. Raising my daughter has caused me many frustrated days and 
sleepless nights, but I wouldn't have traded a minute of them for the 
world.
  Alexandra has brought lots into my life and the lives of those around 
her, with her warm sense of humor and generosity of spirit. These are 
beyond measure. Words do not allow me to convey how proud I am of my 
daughter, of all that she has accomplished in her life, and all that 
she will become in the coming years.
  Now, like all parents, I will have to let go and watch as my little 
girl leaves home and goes off into a world where her father isn't there 
to watch over her. She will no longer have to seek my or her mother's 
permission to stay out late with friends or to go to a movie. She will 
never again have to listen to my lectures. I can only hope she chooses 
instead to listen, if only to humor her old man. She has become the 
adult that her mother and I hoped she would become: independent and 
intelligent, perceptive and engaging, considerate, compassionate, and 
kind. Where my little girl stood only a short time ago, a woman now 
stands, ready to take on the challenges of the world.
  It is a bittersweet moment, and a moment of immeasurable pride. In 
the future, Alexandra Massa will accomplish whatever she sets her 
sights upon. I ask only that she always remembers that her father will 
always love her with that special love only a father can have for a 
daughter, that only a parent can have for their child.
  Thank You, Madam Speaker.

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