My mother spent much of her life helping other people (she would have made a great Lubavitcher). I have chosen to end this book with a story about her which I hope will explain everything the Rebbe wanted us to understand.

    One Shabbos during my mother's last visit with me, when she was depressed and thinking about killing herself, a very special moment took place. Our very close friend Jeri came over to visit my mother to cheer her up and try to make her feel better. While Jeri and my mother and I sat at the kitchen table, Jeri opened up a siddur and slowly began reading the morning blessings to my mother in English. She explained that these blessings a Jew says every morning are there to help us remember that it is G-d who gives us all of our abilities and that He is always there to help us, to protect us and to comfort us. And out of all the nations in the world, He chose us to receive His precious gift of Torah. And it is this Torah that continually guides us through life and helps us to rise above the difficult situations that confront us in our daily lives. As I was listening to Jeri, I began to worry that because of my mother's state of mind maybe it wasn't such a good time to be pushing all this religious talk on her. But I was wrong. It was exactly the right time. I realized it the moment Jeri finished talking when my mother, with tears in her eyes, simply said, "That's the life I should have had."

    When Dovid and I got married, my mother began lighting Shabbos candles every week. It was a mitzvah that became very special to her. As my mother's first yahrzeit was ending, Shabbos was just beginning. And on that Shabbos, I took it upon myself to light two additional candles from that time on for the two Shabbos candles my mother had lit. I felt that in joining her mitzvah together with mine it strengthened our connection to each other. I look forward to the day when I can return my mother's mitzvah to her, where it truly belongs. May all of us merit to see Moshiach immediately and be reunited with our loved ones who are eagerly waiting to greet us.