My heart is broken for the loss of my sister, Jocelyn. But how lucky am I that I got to spend almost 30 years of my life with this incredible human being? We met in dorm in our first year at McGill University; she caught my attention leaving dorm one day as she wasn’t wearing any shoes, she told me she was a mountain girl and didn’t wear them, screw social norms! Even at the age of 17 she was the strongest, smartest, funniest, most self-assured, bad-ass woman and I admired the crap out of her. We went for long walks in the snowy winter nights of Montreal, enjoyed going out to the night markets of Taichung, and just sat and talked for hours and hours, always laughing. She brought color to my life in more ways than one.

And then, 10 years into our fabulous friendship, I got doubly lucky when she went and fell in love with my brother. My brother had just visited me in Taiwan and I had won a little vibrating turtle (Jocelyn loved turtles) from a claw machine so I asked him to bring it back to NYC to have my friend pick it up from him. He arranged for her to come to his office to pick it up and they sat and talked and started hanging out. They were both adamant that the other was “great but I’d never date them”. A month later I got an email from Jocelyn telling me she was head over heels in love with Xander and I felt like the luckiest person in the world that one of my closest friends was going to become my sis-in-law. Their love was the kind that every person hopes to find. Over the next 19 years, they never failed to light up at the sight of the other, with a kiss and embrace. They always just loved being in one another’s company, were true partners in every way, and they both loved their boys so very much. 

Jocelyn you taught me so very much about how to live life well, and I’m going to miss your perfect dry wit more than anything. My greatest sadness is that Lyra will never have a chance to grow up with you as her role model. I cherish all the great moments we shared that are seared in my memory (we managed to live in 4 cities in 3 different countries together!!). I love you so very much and will miss you terribly, but I’m happy you are finally free from pain. Rest now. You deserve it.