How did Belisha touch you?

There are a multitude of adjectives in the English dictionary, many of which describe Belisha perfectly. However, when I think about her one word comes to mind: nurturing. Belisha was the kind of person who never spoke ill of others and was genuinely kind to everyone she met. But, for me, Belisha’s defining quality was her selfless love.
When I first met Belisha I was 5 years old. We lived with Belisha and Abe until my parents and I finally got a place of our own. I didn’t know either of them and I was scared and missed my dad when we first came to Virginia. The first night with Abe and Belisha was fun. My mom, Belea, and I slept on the bed and Abe, like a gentleman, volunteered to sleep on the couch in their tiny one bedroom apartment in Alexandria. My mom fell asleep quickly but Belisha stayed up with me talking, laughing, and playing etemite until I eventually got tired and fell asleep. From the first day she met me Belisha treated me like a daughter….her daughter. As I got older she became a friend, my best friend in fact. She would always listen to my rants about unimportant things like whatever new artist I was listening to, or my favorite book and why she should read it, and my tangents about how amazing—or awful—new music for our next band concert was. However, she wasn’t only my best friend, she was—in her words not mine—“everyone’s bestie.”
Her love and affection was pure. Her purest form of love was reserved for her children. Betty, Amy, Melat. Your mother was an incredible woman, someone everyone deserved to know, she was not only a good person but a good Christian, and you should be very proud of that. She was cherished by so many people and you are not alone in your grief. Abe, you and Belea both hold a special place in my heart; I hope to have a relationship and a love like you and Belisha shared someday. Belisha is in a much better place now, and although that doesn’t lessen the pain, I am hopeful that one day we all reach a point where we can share our happy memories of her and smile instead of cry.