Hearst Media Services, My Dearest Anita, The minutes of your passing, swiftly turned to hours, days, months, and unbelievably, now a year. It has been a year of growth in faith, lingering sadness, and bitter tears from a heavy heart that at times wants nothing more than to miss you. At the same time, a year of hope, immense love and gradually joy as I nurture the precious gifts which the Lord has given me through you. To say that you did a great job in preparing them for the possibility of your not being here would be too simple a statement for the remarkable achievement that it is. What I can say is that my job as their grandmother and now mother has been made easier by their enormous capacity to love, laugh, reason, and understand. You have left me two beautiful human beings who embody some of the very qualities that we so cherished in you. As this fateful date approaches, I think back on our time together and thirty-one years, too, seem fleeting. My thoughts wander to the little girl whose bright smile and quick response left no doubt as to her confidence. They glimpse the teenager with a knack for questioning boundaries, who would seek her way and end my concerns that my words were not being heard. They recall the young woman who embraced motherhood with diligence and grace; making no excuses, and wanting nothing to slip. They finally rest upon the daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, and friend with an indomitable spirit and fierce desire to touch lives, especially of the ones she loved. It was two days shy of Christmas Day when the Lord took you home. And of course that’s because he knew. He knew your love for Christmas and Thanksgiving, holidays that to you meant more than bringing the family together for a meal; it meant cherishing life and making memories. You, too, knew. You knew that in missing you so much we would seek comfort in these memories. You also knew that life, with all its beauty and pain is meant to bring a spirit to its ultimate destination. And in the end we also knew. We knew that your spirit was destined for a place where each day would be blessed and where the Lord would lovingly guide your every step. With all my love, Your Mother