Mom was thankful and grateful for each day and saw the beauty in everything. She was also the most generous person I have ever met – always giving to others as much as she could and as often as she could, expecting nothing in return. And that’s the key phrase, expecting nothing in return… She gave and cared for others because it gave her great joy and honor to do so. She was a beloved wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, and friend.

Full of life, love, laughter, and a joyous and generous spirit, my mother was a woman on a mission. Dedicating her life to serving others and making a positive impact on the world, she chose to live her life intentionally, purposefully, and full of joy. Mom’s primary goal in life was to help others see the good and remind them that there is always an opportunity to learn and grow.

Love overruled all for her and was one of the most important and critical rules she followed. In fact, it was the idea that led to her philosophy on life, which is this: “Love is the only true miracle. It’s the only one. And it’s so special.”

Mom was so many things to so many people and she is deeply, deeply missed but what was most important to her was making sure others knew how much they were cared for and loved. Family was everything to her. She had a strong sense of obligation to those she was closest to and constantly strived to demonstrate the importance of loyalty and love.  For mom, it was more about experiences rather than things – she believed each day was a gift. She excelled in her profession and was the epitome of what it means to be a strong, caring, kind, passionate, brilliant, loving, and beautiful soul. We loved her more than words can say.

Mom was a registered donor for many, many years and had always shared with us how important she felt it was to give back to others as much as she could – so we were always aware of her wishes to donate. However, we did not at all anticipate that she would become a donor this soon. At the age of only 61, she became a donor due to a tragic accident in which she fell in our backyard while watering her tomato plants and hit her head. She was on Coumadin (a blood thinner) and between that and how hard she hit her head, by the time she woke up from her fall to go inside, the damage had already been done. She fell asleep peacefully at home and we were never able to wake her up. We find peace in knowing that we could honor her wishes of being a donor to help others.