Mother's Last Assignment

Mother's Last Assignment
A Eulogy for Our Mom 

There was no measure for her capacity to care. Shy on the inside, she was anything but reserved. She cared deeply, passionately, about those close to her, and was endlessly bound to bringing peace and harmony to her loved ones.

Selfless, she made extraordinary sacrifices for her children, for her family. Like the characters in the tales she would tell at our bedside, she was a princess, the swan, the defender of the faith, our Joan of Arc. She was someone really rare and special. She was precious to us.

My mother inspired me. She lived a fantasy-filled childhood. Maybe, because of poverty or because it was frowned upon, she ditched those fanciful dreams and chose to be practical and industrious. But, that didn't prevent her from sharing her world of imagination and wonder with me.

I am in awe of her. She would breath life into an ordinary world, give it color, and hold it up for me to see. She was an idealist forced underground. Her cause was her children. She would lead us by the hand to a place that was peaceful and harmonious. A place that I thought I could only discover with her until I found it inside of me. And then I look around, and I realize, she's alive in all of us. She's in my brother's eyes, in his smile and gestures.

Each of us is a mere reflection of the woman who gave us life, showered us with love, and spread rose petals on the earth wherever we go. She wanted us to have what she was deprived of.

Today, we honor my mother's memory. To remember her spirit, good natured humor, devotion, and never ending ability to share compassion and love. We may grieve for ourselves because she is no longer anchored to this earth, but aweigh in the heavens. But our mother is not gone. She never left us. We do not have to look any farther than into our hearts and souls. Because in there we will find her teachings. We can carry on her message of love.

Before I lay my head on my pillow each night, I hope to think of her, dream of her. It was always springtime in my mother's heart. And until I draw my last breath, I will live my life by her convictions.

It was her wish, her last lesson for me -- a written assignment to eulogize her. A lesson that may have been meant to help me cope with my loss, to dig deep and rediscover what I appreciated so much about her. Even now, her joy still fills me.

On my journey home to meet with this day, everything was sinking in. And then, I remembered the note recently left on my neighbor's apartment door. It read, "To whomever stole my angel, please bring it back. Thank you," with a hand drawn smily face on the sign. The winged fixture that brightened the hall where I passed everyday may never return. And we, we'll never get our angel back. She's in heaven. But no one can take away her memory.