Mom, to me, was my guide and my light through the trials and tribulations of life. She always had a wonderful way of giving me the words that would allow me to get through times of tumult and doubt. If she herself had not the words to comfort me, then she would suggest the words of a person that assisted her in finding her own contentment. One of her suggestions was the book “The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibaran.

For her, I will read a passage from this book.

“You would know the secret of death.
But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?
The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light.
If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life.
For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.
In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;
And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.
Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.
Your fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honor.
Is the shepherd not joyful beneath his trembling, that he shall wear the mark of the king?
Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling?
For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?
And what is to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?
Only when you drink form the river of silence shall you indeed sing.
And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.”

I envision Mom now, dancing in perpetuity with her beautiful infectious smile eternally conveying her love.

Happiness and Joy are the things that mom wanted most for others and for herself. She had an ability to affect those around her with a contagious joy. It was her belief, that this joy was something that could be shared with one person and that it could then be passedfrom this person to the next. In this way, joy could then grow infinitely.

This notion of contagious love isa notion that I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of countless times throughout my shared life with Mom.

A time I remember; when I was twelve, there was a school assembly, in which my class was to perform some sort of show in front of all of our classmates and their parents. I’m unable to remember exactly what it was that my class did for this performance, but I remember another class was doing a square dance. These kids were younger and they were out there dancing their hearts out. During the performance the other kids and parents in assembly were not cheering the younger children on. This silence, Mom wouldn’t have, so she began to whoop and holler. She was clapping her hands and yelling out calls of praise to those little dancers. Initially I was embarrassed by this break in the silence, but after a moment I found myself joining in, clapping and hollering, then others joined and began to do the same. There were smiles on each one of the young dancer’s faces in response to this outpouring of attention.

This was just one of the many times in which Mom illustrated how happiness and joy could become infectious and passed on to the world around her.

I will always love her for this remarkable ability.

I’ll end with a quote from “The Prophet”

“Love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation”

I know now, as I’ve always known, that my love for Mom grows stronger with each recalled memory of her loving smile. Her smile and love will continue to guide me and remind me of her enchantment.

Thank you Mom for all that you are and for all that you’ve made me.