Our mother was such a special woman - intelligent, beautiful, resourceful and kind, with a positive attitude that couldn't be shaken. Hers is the story of a purpose-driven life. Alison Rae Hudson was born in El Paso Texas in 1950, into an Air Force family. Along with her parents, Margaret and Jere, her older brother Jay and her younger sister Meg, she traveled extensively throughout the United States and South America. Later, after returning from a three year stint in Peru, her family was blessed by the arrival of her sister, Susan. On account of her father's military service, Mother moved every few years, but she always returned home to Marshall, a small town in East Texas, where our great-grandmother Bubu lived, in the home our great-great-grandfather won in a poker match in the 1800s. There, she had many fond adventures, from exploring the woods and creeks of Tick Hill, our family's property,to poking around the swamp and admiring the cypress trees on Caddo Lake. A high-spirited young lady, and later, a feminist, our mom blazed her own trail, often to the chagrin of her own parents. Her travels - particularly her experience living in Peru as a child - made a lasting impression, and helped shape our mother's life-long commitment to social justice and helping people in need. It was in Peru that she first became aware of true poverty and inequality. She spoke of helping the servants polish the silver before the grand parties and formal dinners that her mother threw in their beautiful home, but of the neighbors across the street who lived in shacks made of cardboard. When packing crates would arrive, the local people would come to ask for them to use as building materials. Mom was known to give away her shoes to a child her age who lived in one of the huts nearby. She visited the Amazon with her family and ate monkeys with the natives. She spoke spanish, or at least pretended to, and received a first rate education. Her family moved back to the States, where they lived in California for a stint before settling in Montgomery, Alabama in the mid-60's, in the thick of the civil rights movement. Mother was troubled by the racial inequality she saw. Excited to drink from a water fountain labeled "colored", Mother found the experience wanting. "Hey! This is just regular water!" she shouted, before being ushered away by her mother. Once, while taking a walk at dusk in Montgomery, she peered down into a dell, and saw burning crosses. Sometimes, she felt afraid. An avid reader and engaged student all her life, Mother found the public school system in Alabama to be sorely lacking. She grew bored and found distraction in friends and mischief and was eventually sent off to boarding school in Mississippi. While she missed her family and did not wish to be sent away, she made the best of the experience - for those of you who knew my mother well, this should not be a surprise, as it remained a guiding principle throughout her life. At boarding school she enjoyed an excellent education and made many new friends, and upon graduating she matriculated at the University of Florida in Gainesville, from which she received a BA in 1972. Mother always said that if she'd had her druthers she would have become an archaeologist, but that her parents insisted that she get a degree in a field more suitable for women, which is how she came to study education. Whether she liked it or not, Mother was a natural teacher. Her openness, warmth, and high level of engagement in the world around her helped her to succeed as a teacher and mentor throughout her career. After an epic road trip across the country, Mom eventually settled in Northern California, where her Aunt Missy and Uncle Ed, along with their daughters - Cathy and Gene - were already living. In all of her endeavors, mother brought a positive attitude and a tremendous energy to bear, which, unsurprisingly, resulted in a fruitful career. She worked first as a teacher at the California Youth Authority, then moved into stand up job training, which is how she met our father in 1978. They shared a commitment to helping those in need, and she loved his problem solving abilities, his intelligence, and especially, his steadfast commitment to family. Soon after meeting our father, she founded her own company - Fast Track. Later, she went on to work for San Joaquin County, at Environmental Health and finally at Solid Waste, where, with the help of her staff, she did some of her most satisfying work. A life-long environmental crusader, her tireless efforts as an advocate for recycling and waste reduction eventually paid off. The household hazardous waste program, master gardener program, and used paint collection and recycling programs she helped to create have become some of the nation's best, and have been used as models for programs across the country. On top of her impressive professional achievements, she was our devoted mother - a role she took seriously and was seriously good at. A woman of strong character, she impressed upon us the importance of caring for each other and for all living things. She was incredibly resourceful, and found many ways to enrich our upbringing with lessons, classes and camps, even on a shoestring budget. She read to us for hours on end. She loved participating in our lives but always had her own life, too. And she loved us so very much. " "People say I'm a Mama's boy, and they are absolutely right," Nathaniel said the other day. "I LOVE my Mother." Perhaps a predictable statement from a mother's favorite child. But of course, we all were her favorite. We actually all believed that we were her favorite. And only I was right, but what a special talent she had to convince the rest of the kids that they were her favorites, too. Just kidding, it probably was Nathaniel. When she was diagnosed for the second time with cancer, almost seven years ago, it had already metastasized to her spine. My mother was adamant about not wanting to be defined by her illness, and lived accordingly, but just so everyone is clear, this is a woman who received a diagnosis of terminal cancer seven years ago. Ninety five percent of people die within the first five years of a diagnosis like that. She was determined to beat the odds, and that's exactly what she did. She participated in a clinical trial and was its last living participant. She worked, full-time, until a few months ago, when she moved to San Francisco to hang out with us full time. She did not persevere, she prevailed, by choosing to live her life, as happily and productively as she would have without cancer. Our mother's life was a testament to the power of positive thinking. "I look around the room and think "I'm going to outlive all of you people," she used to say. She believed it, and she was right. Not just in the physical sense, which was true to some extent - she did outlive a lot of people who didn't have a cancer diagnosis hanging over their heads. Even more meaningfully, though, she outlived pretty much everybody in the spiritual sense. She made so much of her time in this world. Our mother got up every day and loved all of it. She loved going to work, and she worked hard. She loved the air and the trees and the hummingbirds. She loved reading, she loved going to the movies, she loved the flowers and the news, and she loved us. None of us knows when this precious life we've been given will draw to a close, nor can we know with any certainty what kinds of terrifying and beautiful circumstances we will meet along the way. But what power we have! To live each day with purpose and integrity. To make mistakes, learn from them, and begin anew. To treat others with the respect and kindness with which we'd hope to be treated ourselves. We have so many chances every day to make the world better - to inspire others through our own actions, to help in big ways and small ways. Many of you have spoken to us about the ways that my mother inspired you. You spoke to her yourself to thank her, you wrote her letters, you offered your help. One thing that many people do not know about my mother was how self-critical she was; how dedicated to self-improvement. Through reflection, she found ways to continually improve over the course of her life. In her honor, we hope that some of you will take a moment to reflect on at least one way to make this world better, and that in your own way you will pledge to make a change for good. I pledge to her that I will live a good life. I pledge to her that I will look for the good in this world. I pledge to her that I will help to create the world I want to inhabit. What a blessing it's been, to be the daughters and sons of such a remarkable woman. When all was said and done - she was able to reflect on her life and know that she made a difference - that in her work as a public servant, a mother and a mentor, she made a lasting impact. The best we can do is honor her by living good lives. We will take up the mantle now. We already have.