Mitch squeezed her hand and helped her rise. For an instant, she felt like she was walking in quicksand and wouldn’t be able to make it up the stairs. Then she turned and found herself standing in front of the microphone, looking out upon a sea of mournful faces. Though she knew Rachel’s body lay before her, her essence was by her side.

“One of the reasons we are here today,” she began “is to honor and celebrate Rachel for the lady she was, what she stood for, the legacy she left, and the hope that we all should share because we were blessed to know her, albeit not for long enough. Mother Teresa once said, ‘We cannot do great things on this earth, only small things with great love.’ To me these words personify who Rachel was as a mother, wife, sister, and friend.

“My name is Carolyn Bianci, and I am privileged to say that Rachel was my best friend since ninth grade. I’ll never forget how she was one of the first people to reach out to me and offer her friendship at the new school I was attending. We made an immediate connection and developed a bond that continued to grow over the past twenty-six years. I knew that in Rachel, I had a friend for life. We shared a lot of our lives together because she was so willing to invest her time and heart into her friends. I love her and miss her dearly.

“I have always had a great sense of admiration for Rachel because she had a few more obstacles placed in front of her at an early age than most people do. But as you all know, Rachel was never the type to settle. She always demanded more of herself and always wanted the best for her family and her friends. In addition to raising her two wonderful boys, Evan and Christopher, of whom she was so proud, she opened her home to Maryann without hesitation because of her love of family and her enormous heart for others. Just yesterday, Maryann shared with us that she wouldn’t be the woman she is today if it hadn’t been for Rachel’s involvement in her life.”

Carolyn looked up for a moment to connect with Maryann. She had her arm around Christopher and his head rested on her shoulder. He looked at Carolyn with an expression of trust, hope, and expectation. After their eyes connected, Carolyn paused, took a deep breath, and continued.

“Rachel had such a beautiful spirit and a unique ability to always focus on the positive instead of the negative. Rachel always looked for the good in everything and in everyone and accepted others unconditionally. As a result of this, she was truly rich in the sense that she had experienced real gratitude in her life.