Remembering Mia

I remember Mia when I first met her in the airport in San Luis Obispo. She got off the plane with Adam and approached me with a delicious hug and a great big smile. That Thanksgiving week-end we got acquainted over Chai tea, we walked on the beach, and we all shared our holiday dinner. Adam asked me to make sure we had all the traditional foods since this would only be Mia's second Thanksgiving celebration in this country. Mia bridged the generation gap by spending time with our granddaughter, Cambria, helping her study Spanish and allowing Cambria to style her hair. We celebrated Adam's birthday and I hoped this would be the first of many celebrations we would have with Adam and Mia.
The following October, I visited Adam and Mia in New York and they introduced me to "their" Lower East Side. It was clear that Mia loved New York and was so happy to share it with me. She and I shared a lovely day at the Guggenheim Museum. I have a magnet on my refrigerator of a painting that we both enjoyed. Whenever I see that magnet, I remember that day with Mia.
I had a couple of visits with Mia in San Diego when she was there for treatment. I went to the clinic with her and was impressed by her bravery and positive attitude. We had some long talks and she told me of the amazing adventures she had had in so many places around the globe. I remember when she said that she would have no regrets because she had always done everything she had wanted to do. I've known people who had lived so many more than her 33 years and could not say that as they approached the end of their lives.
I'll never forget Mia, the woman who came into my son Adam's life and into mine for such a short time. She made a difference in our family just as she had everywhere she travelled. I pray that she is a peace.