My sister-in-law Lou Ann left us very unexpectedly, on Monday June 24th 2024, a few short days after a routine medical procedure.
It was an honor and a privilege for me to know her in this life, and to experience her final transformation and her liberation from this life to the next.
Lou Ann was full of love, compassion and generosity in her own unique way until her very last moments with us on earth.
Her mission was one that made a great difference in the lives of many people. The great number of people who knew her and loved her says a lot about the kind of person she was.
She wasn’t a celebrity or a well-known political figure; her death wasn’t mentioned in the newspapers or on the radio. However, her departure touched many.
She left like she lived, making sure she had spent time with all of her loved ones. She was thinking of others until her very last moment. She even waited until her son had married and gone on his honeymoon to before she breathed her last, labored breath.
My sister-in-law spent her whole life helping others. She was always there for those who were in need—whether they needed an ear that would listen or encouragement. She was a reassuring presence for her mother and father, of whom she took great care, as well as for her husband, children, her friends, her work colleagues, and her whole family.
She was admired by all that knew her. Here are some of the qualities that Lou Ann mastered:
1. Authenticity
2. Loyalty
3. Generosity
4. Respect of self and of others
5. Integrity.
She continually expressed her truth.
Her mission was a great one: she taught others around her the importance of loving and of not being afraid of saying it!
All of her relationships were transformed by one, single ingredient: love—the most essential ingredient for our time here on earth.
The best remedy for a difficult event that turns our lives upside down is to give love freely, and to receive the love that comes to us in return.
Because we get back what we give.
The death of my sister-in-law has really brought home to me that, when we leave this world, our material goods, roles, titles, and profits no longer matter. All that counts when we leave, when we have completed our mission, is that we loved fully, and were loved in return. I sincerely believe that, when we leave this life, our soul takes this love with it.
When you love fully, only then are you truly alive! You get back what you give!
We can die having been miserable with others, or we can die having made a difference and leaving beautiful memories in the minds of people.
Thinking of Lou Ann automatically brings a smile to the lips of and of those who knew her because she loved life. She always was her true self.
Thank you, dear Lou Ann, for the great privilege of having known you for 32 years. I know you are still here among us. Thank you for reminding us that the present moment is precious, and that we should make the most of it by loving fully and generously.
Spread your wings and fly proudly, Lou Ann. You have earned it!