Eileen Katherina Martinelli ❤️
13 years and it feels heavier this year.
I think it’s because I’m finally in a season of life where I understand you more deeply — not just as my mom, but as a woman. And the older I get, the more I admire who you were at your core.
I see so much of you in the way I move through life now. In the way I value kindness and the small gestures that can completely change someone’s day. In the way I protect my peace and energy. In the way I my inner child never dies, through craving adventure, laughter, and moments that fill my cup most, both alone and with the ones that bring out my best.
You lived fully and authentically. You were never afraid to be yourself, and you surrounded yourself with people who celebrated the light in you. You made people feel safe, welcome, and seen simply because you cared. You found joy in the little things — sunsets on park benches, flowers on walks, first bites of amazing food, laughing till your stomach hurt at silly shows, random conversations with strangers, long talks and silent moments with those who matter most, music, dance, travel and living in the moment without caring what anyone else thought.
You believed deeply that everything happened for a reason, that God was always guiding it all. That one day, it would all come together. That belief gave you peace, and I understand that now more than ever.
This season of my life — alignment and direction, I see you in all of it. I see your spirit in the way I choose joy, in the way I love, and in the way I’m learning to trust life.
You live on through me every single day, and for that, I’m proud.
Love forever, mushy🤍.
