Two years ago, on this date, November 25, my daughter Perrin Thompson Hall died after an almost 7-year battle with cancer. She was 26. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about her – her smile, her gentle spirit.

Shortly after my daughter’s death, I wrote about her, “Perrin honored God by her being, not by her doing. Although she was able to have some incredible experiences during the seven years of her cancer, she did not do much. She wrote a little, but rarely spoke in public of her situation. She lived the life given her. She loved people and cared more about them than herself. She suffered with remarkable grace. She smiled, she was always grateful and kind. She almost never complained and was never bitter. Not many people even knew how amazing she really was, and yet her life, her being, reached thousands. I have no doubt that if cancer had never raised its head in her life, she would have, through her being, still reached thousands. We mistakenly think that what is important is what we do. And that is important to some extent. But it is our being, who we really are, that speaks volumes and affects and changes people. Lots of people do well, are successful, are impactful. But not many people be well. Few people impact us simply by their presence. Perrin certainly did!”

Perrin’s favorite book/play/movie was Les Miserables. She listened to the music incessantly, both in English and in French. Her high school senior quote was from the movie, “To love another person is to see the face of God.” She saw the face of God often.

Perrin was the most joy-ful person I have ever known. Even in the midst of the hardest days, she would unabashedly say about some small picture or a visit from a friend, “That makes me so happy.” She personified the truth that real joy is stronger than circumstances.

More than any other characteristic, Perrin was a woman of mighty faith. Perrin wrote a blog in her early days battling cancer that touched thousands with transparent honesty and bright hope. www.perrinthompson.blogspot.com. She once wrote, “Cancer has been a turning point in my life that I never could have dreamed of, and I know that my life will never be the same. But despite the hard times and the multitudes of tears, the Lord has been protecting me every step of this journey. Whether I live, and one day become cancer free, or I die, I know without a doubt that God is good, and that does not change based on my circumstances.” For Perrin, those were not just brave words, they were the truth by which she lived.

My family now joins a large fellowship of those who have lost a loved one way too soon. My sister lost her daughter Kate just a short 5 months after Perrin died. The holidays particularly are a time we tend to remember. That is good, although hard. My prayer is that in the midst of the grief, we will also remember the joy and the love and the courage; and in memory and tribute to those we have lost, choose, as Perrin did, to love and cherish all those around us. Perhaps, in doing so, we will see more of the face of God.