“Yesterday we buried my sister, who died in an accident on October 9th. It was a beautiful ceremony, presided by a good friend, Cynthia Jean Martens, and attended by only the family. Since October 9th, my emotions have been raw to the core, full of questions, denial, anger, and regret. We had become very close. She would come to mom and me every Friday and stay until Monday morning when she would go directly to her job in DC. Jeannette was so patient and loving with her. She had applied to do further studies to improve her opportunities in the childcare field. She had found a room in a great location, where she and the landlady shared many interests and topics of conversation. You could tell she felt a sense of independence in the knowledge that she was taking care of herself. She enjoyed working with children and loved hers above all. She was so proud of the mature young women Giselle and Dominique had become. Jeannette’s greatest joy was family, spending with us as much time as possible, being in constant communication about our day-to-day minutiae, and making us laugh with her wit and humorous take on life. Living with back pain and other adversities but never complaining, my sister was in such a good place - diligent about her responsibilities, had no anger or resentment toward anyone, offering everyone her radiant smile and genuine interest. She was at peace with her life and had goals to make it better on her own. I am convinced that my sister died in grace. One of the last things she told me in conversation was: “Norms, God whispers to us all the time and when we don’t listen, he hits us over the head.” Well, God, I’m listening, but did you have to hit me so hard? My sweet sister, rest in peace and in my love forever.”