Although my mom died before I was fully grown, I know now that I am a couple of inches taller than her, which is a sort of strange thought. Sometimes I'll look at one of my siblings and I see her face look back at me. I am proud to have inherited her creativity, her entrepreneureal spirit, her desire to grow, her love of God and family and even her big feet.

It has not been easy growing up and living motherless (in the earthly sense), and today I dare not bring up the pain of our last year together or the moments when her absence was felt. But, it is a blessing to have had an angel walking my journey with me for the last twenty years, and to have shared this path with my father, my sisters, my brothers, my aunts, my dear 98 year old lola, my cousins, my husband and my children, and close friends who lent an ear or a shoulder over the years.

This weekend the tradition of celebrating her anniversary will continue. For the 20th time, we will gather for prayers at the cemetery, hear mass and then share a meal with each other. It's nice that everytime we do this, there's always more laughter than tears.

"Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen." Luke 24: 5-6