Dear Friends, Family and Community,

When our daughter Maya took her life on October 2, our collective hearts shattered into enough pieces to fill the ocean. Each piece reflects memories and questions. Memories we will hold dear; questions that will remain unanswered.  We will never make sense of it all, yet while deep in our grief, we are aware that as a community of youth and caring adults, we have the opportunity to make change.

Maya made a mistake. A mistake from which there is no retreat, no undoing, no return to a time before what has been done.  That is where we begin to make sense of this.  Maya taught us about joy, about fun, about love.  She brought kindness and compassion to all she met, and for that we are grateful.  And now Maya has taught us about grief, about despair, about loss, in a way we never imagined.  From all of this, the grief to the joy, the despair to the hope, we can only hope to find a middle way, a way of loving kindness, acceptance, and compassion.

We have invited Rabbi Jonathan Kligler to share his powerful eulogy for Maya. It addresses our youth and our community in a moving and touching way.  It speaks to a way forward, a way to honor Maya’s life by cherishing our own lives and families, by listening and connecting with each other, and by supporting each other.  Please read it, share it, and find your way in the web of receiving and offering support.  The outpouring of love has kept us and our family afloat.

With gratitude and love,