About JSQ Foundation
About Jennifer
Jennifer
was the embodiment of love and compassion.
She
made it her life’s mission to teach those around her how to love, how to be
understanding and tolerant, and how to be compassionate.
Jennifer lived by the
principles she taught. She
possessed a zest for life and made a point of touching the hearts of those
around her everyday. Whether you
met her once or were life-long friends, you could not help but be smitten by her
infectious personality, her contagious optimism, or her indomitable spirit.
Jennifer
believed the world could be made a better place by simply taking the time to
listen, taking the time to understand, and never prejudging or stereotyping.
Jennifer exhibited this time and time again.
She did this on a daily basis with her students at the Blackstone
Elementary School in Boston, where everyday began and ended with a hug; she did
this with her after-school literacy work; and she did this when she stood up for
the causes she so fervently believed in.
Jennifer could always
find the good and bring out the potential in everyone she met.
Jennifer served as a beacon of inspiration and encouragement.
I recognized this when I met her friends, her family, her students, and
her colleagues. I recognized this
with myself. With Jennifer by my
side, I believed anything was possible. She
made me realize a guy like me, could get a girl like her, which was the title of
a song I had written about her before we started dating, when I secretly had a
crush on her. She inspired me
throughout all of my endeavors, and even with her passing, she still serves as a
source of inspiration. This was
made evident when my advertising team from Emerson College dedicated their
pursuit of a national championship to her memory.
Jennifer balanced her
passion for life with unbridled senses of humor and innocence.
One night, after seeing the movie Signs, Jennifer not only made tinfoil
hats for the two of us, but also for our three parakeets, so the aliens could
not read our thoughts.
Jennifer has left us
with so many memories and so much hope for the future. I would like to share with you the ones that have been
indelibly etched into my life: I will always remember our first date, I will
always remember our first Bruins game, I will always remember the night I
proposed to you and waiting forty-five minutes for you to compose yourself
before you gave me an answer, I will always remember that special look and smile
you had reserved exclusively for me; and I will always cherish the last words
you said to me…”I love you.”
I consider myself the
luckiest person in the world. People
spend a lifetime searching for the kind of love and happiness you brought to me
over the past year.
In his teachings, the
true Buddha – Nichiren Daishonin said, “Winter never fails to turn to
spring.” With Jennifer’s
passing, we are as if in winter. But
by learning from the lessons she taught and by keeping her memory close to our
hearts, we will certainly realize spring.
Jennifer is watching
us in the mirrors of the sun and the moon every minute of everyday.
And even though we cannot see or hear her, neither can the deaf hear the
rumble of thunder nor the blind see the light of the sun, do not ever doubt that
Jennifer is close at hand.
Jennifer
taught me love. Jennifer taught me
compassion. We reaffirmed our love
for each other every morning when we woke; we reaffirmed our love for each other
at the end of every telephone conversation; and we reaffirmed our love for each
other every night before we fell asleep. The
lesson I learned from Jennifer that I want to share with you is never take love
or friendship for granted. Tell the
people close to you that you love them; tell them at every available
opportunity; and always strive to make a difference in the lives of the people
you touch. By doing so you will
keep Jennifer’s memory alive and you will continue the work to which she
dedicated her life.
-
Douglas Quintal
-
May 24, 2003