an incomplete tribute

As I read through emails from more than a decade ago, I was struck by how positive and loving my mom was. She was truly my biggest fan, but furthermore an incredible example of resiliency. As she overcame a horrendous violent crime against her by a serial killer, she emailed me this passage from St. Francis:

Where there is hatred, let me sow love,

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved, as to love.