Marisol Gonzalez: Mother's Memorial

It is with a very heavy heart that I write that our dearest friend and colleague, Marisol Gonzalez, lost her mother yesterday, April 9th. In these past three years, I have come to know and love Marisol. I have seen her accomplish many firsts: her first moot court competition; her first oral argument; her first trip to Cuba; and, most significantly, her first time becoming a mother. She is a remarkably strong woman with an unbreakable will that I both respect and admire.  I know that her mother, in the glorious light that she now bathes in, is beaming with pride.

I graciously ask that we support Marisol and her family by making a donation to this fund. The money would help Marisol and her family with the funeral expenses. 

Below are Marisol's reflections about her mother, written on the day before she passed. 

"Had an amazing night. I had her all to myself. We listened to some of her favorite music. I held her hand. Cried. Napped by her side. I thanked her for everything she's done for me, I apologized for every instance I've ever failed her, reminisced about happy moments and upsetting moments, showed her nurse pictures of her smiling and laughing, laughed about her overprotective antics (which I may or may not be utilizing with Madelyn). I even had a 2am visit from a childhood friend to distract me for a bit and serve as a reminder that the world will keep on turning. I sat with her all night because, well, if you knew her, you'd you'd understand why.

She was not perfect and we never had the perfect relationship. But she was all mine, to be loved by, to cry with, to laugh with, to fight with. She made me who I am today. For 29 years, I was her world. No one will ever love me as she did, for she is irreplaceable. And today I have to open my arms and offer her back to the one who gave her to me, to God, with hopes that she's bathed in His light to chase away all the darkness she's faced.

We started the day together. I know she forgives me all my faults, cause she's always been able to understand me far better than I would ever give her credit for. I move forward with a clear conscience and heart, despite the inevitable tears that will fall from my eyes. My next step is to honor her wishes, let go and let God, as hard as that may be. She taught me that- how to be selfless. Now I have to practice what I learned.

And I want the world to know all this, because this is part of who I am, and who I will be. And to remind you all to honor your mother all the ways you can, because there's no other relationship as complex, fulfilling, forgiving and special as that of a mother and child."