My mom was the kind of person who made the world feel warmer just by being in it. She had a heart that gave endlessly, a love that never wavered, and a presence that could bring comfort even on the hardest days.
This past year without her has been one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to walk through. She was my safe place—the one who always knew how to calm my storms, make me smile when I didn’t want to, and remind me that everything would be okay. Losing that has changed me in ways I never expected.
Right before she passed, she planted tulips all around the house and a lilac tree. At the time, it just felt like something she was doing because she loved making things beautiful. But now, it feels like so much more than that.
As the one-year anniversary of her passing approaches, the grief has been heavy. Some days feel overwhelming. But recently, after one of the hardest days, I came home and saw those tulips blooming and that lilac tree growing strong. And in that moment, it felt like her.
It felt like she was still taking care of me… still reminding me to smile… still showing me that even through pain, there is beauty. That’s who she was.
So when I think about her decision to donate her eyes, it doesn’t surprise me—it just feels like the most perfect reflection of her heart. Even after she was gone, she chose to give. She chose to help someone else see. She chose to create light in someone else’s life.
There is something so deeply meaningful about knowing that because of her, someone else may be able to see the world—the same kind of beauty she created everywhere she went. Sunrises. Loved ones’ faces. Flowers blooming in the spring. Maybe even tulips. That thought brings me a kind of comfort I can’t fully put into words.
My mom didn’t just leave behind memories—she left behind love, strength, and a legacy of selflessness that will live on forever. And now, a part of her continues to see the world, just like she always helped others do in her own way.
We miss her more than words can ever express. We love her endlessly. And we are so incredibly proud of her.