Friends and family,

I share both sadness and joy with you today. My dear mother has passed and is now in heaven with my father and my sister.

How do you find words that encompass a life?

The term “pioneer” fits my mother’s life.

She was a pioneer when she became an airline stewardess in the 1950s, when air travel was just beginning to grow.

She was a pioneer when she learned to fly a glider at a time when no women were flying.

She was a pioneer when she immigrated to this country to begin a new life after the destruction in Lebanon.

She was a pioneer when my father passed, and she pushed forward in life by buying her first house on her own.

She continued her pioneering way by always looking forward and never looking back.

You could call her a beacon of light, a truth teller, and someone you could follow, knowing you would get to where you were going—or where you needed to go.

One of the brightest lights about my mother was her ability to stay strong, stay the course, and stay positive. In a world filled with confusion and distraction, my mother knew exactly who she was and where she was going.

Life is never easy, and it was not easy for my mother. But, to say the least, she pioneered forward to prove to herself that she could do it.

Strength is within all of us. My mother chose to use her strength with love. All of us who knew her or spent time with her know this about her character. She was a strong love. We sensed it, and we felt it.

My joy today is knowing that my mother is now with our almighty God and that she has rejoined her husband and daughter. I will remember her strength, her courage, and her ability to continue through life regardless of what was thrown her way.

I will remember her every day, knowing that she had the courage to live her life on her own terms.

Throughout this process, and prior to her passing, I asked my mother what she thought about all the visitors who came to see her over and over again. She replied, “I am loved.” She did not say, “I feel love,” and she did not say, “I felt love.” She said, “I am loved.” God loves my mother.

To my mother: I will remember you, and I will miss you. And, because you are loved, so am I.