Soft Strength, Still Here

Today is about remembering you; your laugh, your faith, the quiet strength you carried so effortlessly. I find myself leaning into the things you taught me more than ever now… the kind of strength that doesn’t need to be loud, the kind that shows up in love, in patience, in simply being there.

I think about the way you brought people together through food, how a table could feel like home because you were at it. I try to carry that with me

to create spaces that feel warm, kind, and full of care, just like you did.

Today would have been your birthday.
Happy heavenly birthday, Maya.

I miss you deeply especially now, with everything that’s going on, but I feel you too. In the small moments. In the memories that rise up gently. In the choices I make to lead with kindness, to love well, to stay grounded in faith.

You’re still here.
In me.
In the quiet, steady ways I keep going.