Yesterday, Natalie Irene Festa passed away - only minutes after my plane landed.  Even though we didn't get the chance to speak one last time, I'm grateful I was able to be with her and sit by her side before she was taken from the hospital.  That time meant everything to me.

Natalie was one of the most vibrant, talkative, and high-energy spirits I have ever known.  In the quiet of our final moments together, I found myself smiling through the sadness at how uncharacteristically silent she was, something she would have absolutely laughed with me about.

Her happiness was always wrapped up in the happiness of the people she loved.  She made everything we did feel "amazing" and "the best in the world," simply because we did it.  To be loved by her was to experience unconditional love in its purest form, without limits, without judgement, without needing to be anything other than exactly who you were.

Mom gave endlessly.  Kindness, compassion, empathy, and care weren't gestures for her, they were her nature.  She lifted others effortlessly, and she made the world feel warmer just by being in it.

This is an immeasurable loss, but I know she would never want anyone sitting in sorrow on her behalf.  She would want us to remember her with joy, to laugh, to live fully, and to carry forward the love she so freely and fiercely gave.

May her memory continue to shine through the lives she touched.