We were so blessed to have had the last days of mom's life to tell her that we love her. On behalf of my brothers and my sister, I would like to take this opportunity to share with you our thoughts on how much our mom has influenced our lives and how much we love her and will always love her.

Mom has always been everything to us .. she has been our teacher, helping us to learn about life and trying to point us in the right direction. She was always there to pick us up when we failed and we always got through it together. We never felt as though we were alone.

Mom has always been a friend to us ... listened to us when we needed to talk and supported us when we were down. Mom was a role model, leading us by her example. We admire everything about her way of life.

Only once in our lives will a person so special walk in front of us and prepare the way for a better future. Only once in our lives will there be a person who cares more about us than anyone else. Only once in our lives will we have an opportunity to be loved by someone as special as our mom.

If there is happiness in our hearts, it's because Mom helped put it there. If there is gentleness in our beliefs, it's because Mom showed us how to care. If there is understanding in our thinking, it's because Mom shared her

wisdom. If there is a rainbow over our shoulders, it's because of Mom's outlook and vision.

Mom was the most important and beautiful person in our family ... she provided us with the stability to keep us confident, the knowledge to help us accomplish things, the strength to help us conquer difficulties. She provided us with the dedication to help us grow and she spent an enormous amount of time to keep us close as a family. Mom was always there to help, always there to understand and always there to care.

Mom always put her family's needs far ahead of her own. Mom's heart was big. She lived to love. And her love was pure and honest.

Mom wanted the best for us and she cared about everything we were going through in our lives. She loved us without condition. She was always there to hear our complaints, to share our joy and to feel our pain. She listened to our latest adventures. She advised us, cried with us and laughed with us. She may not have been perfect, but she was OUR perfect Mom and we love her forever.

We have so much love in our hearts for our mom, our wonderful, beautiful, funny Mom. Sometimes, she may have thought that her words were falling on deaf ears, but we always heard her words and her voice will echo forever in our minds.

We have no regrets. We always said, “Thanks, Mom.” We always said, “I love you Mom” ... she had an unforgettable, wonderful influence on our lives.

To Mom, we would like to say thank you for choosing to give us life, for wanting us, for loving us and for taking care of us and for helping us to grow spiritually. Thank you for embracing our lives as we grew individually. Thank you for always cheering us on and for having confidence in us. Thank you for showing us that you were so proud of us, no matter how small the accomplishment. Thank you for those gut-wrenching laughs that took our breaths away. Thank you for being the best mom in the world, and for being an important and beautiful person in our family. We are incredibly lucky to have been gifted with a mother like you.

May God bless you on your eternal journey.

We love you Mommy. -- Dec. 30, 2006.