Life Lessons from Lamya

Remembering Mom

By Keira Yono

Lamya Kory believed that we are here for one reason: to learn how to give and receive love. It was a belief she spoke about often, but more importantly, it was a belief she lived. She lived life fully and invited everyone around her into it. She measured life not by possessions or achievements, but by love, connection, and the lives she touched along the way.

Whether she was gathering family around a Sunday dinner, helping a friend through a difficult time, guiding meditation, exploring a new country, or simply sharing a conversation, Lamya had a gift for making people feel seen, valued, and welcomed. She approached the world with curiosity, compassion, and an open heart, always seeking to understand rather than judge.

One of Lamya’s greatest joys was feeding the people she loved. Her kitchen was the heart of her home, and her meals brought family and friends together around the table. Cooking was one of the ways she expressed love, and those who knew her will always remember her extraordinary meals, cherished recipes, and the warmth and connection that accompanied them.

To be loved by Lamya was often to be fed by Lamya. Whether it was a holiday feast, a Sunday dinner, or a favorite meal prepared simply because someone was visiting, food was one of the ways she cared for others. Her table was a gathering place, and many of her family’s most treasured memories were created around it.

Those who knew her remember her generosity, adventurous and energetic spirit, wisdom, and ability to find beauty in ordinary moments. She found joy in nature, travel, learning, family, and meaningful connection. She could spend hours talking with a friend, watching birds outside her window, learning something new, or preparing a meal for the people she loved.

Her greatest gift, however, was not what she did, but how she made people feel. She had a remarkable ability to bring people together, encourage them, comfort them, and remind them of their own worth. Many people can trace an important friendship, opportunity, healing moment, career, or even a marriage back to Lamya. She quietly changed lives, often without realizing the impact she had.

She believed that kindness matters, that forgiveness brings freedom, and that every person deserves compassion. She reminded those around her to keep their hearts open, remain grateful, and never lose their sense of wonder. She loved nature, flowers, birds, butterflies, sunsets, and the simple beauty of the world around her. She taught by example that life is meant to be experienced fully, not merely endured.

Her family was the center of her world and her greatest source of pride. She raised her children with strength, resilience, and unconditional love, and found some of her greatest happiness in being a grandmother. She often said that grandchildren were life’s greatest gifts, and nothing brought her more joy than spending time with them.

Lamya often described herself as simple. But the countless lives she touched tell a larger story. Her legacy lives on in the family she cherished, the friendships she nurtured, the people she helped, the lives she connected, and the love she shared so freely. She leaves behind a lasting reminder that a meaningful life is not measured by what we accumulate, but by how deeply we love, how fully we live, and how many people are better because we were here.

The final chapter of Lamya’s life revealed what those who loved her had always known: love was stronger than suffering.

She believed that our souls come into this life to experience both joy and hardship, and that even our most painful moments have something to teach us. She often reminded those around her that life is happening for us, not to us, and that every experience, no matter how difficult, is an opportunity to grow in love, compassion, gratitude, and understanding. She believed that God never gives us more than we can carry and trusted that every season of life had a purpose, even when we could not yet understand it.

When ovarian cancer entered her life, she lived those beliefs with extraordinary courage. She never stopped fighting, not because she was afraid to die, but because she loved life so deeply and loved her family even more. Every extra day meant one more conversation, one more Sunday dinner, one more memory with her children and grandchildren. She fought with remarkable strength because every moment she could spend with the people she loved was worth fighting for.

During her illness, I once asked her if she thought it would have been easier to die suddenly than to endure so much suffering. Her answer forever changed me. She said that while it may be easier for the person to die quickly, dying slowly gives the family more time together. In that moment, I understood the depth of her love. Even in the greatest suffering of her life, she was still thinking of us before herself. If enduring more pain meant giving her family more time, then to her, every moment was worth it.

That was Lamya. She lived exactly as she believed. She found meaning in hardship, beauty in ordinary moments, gratitude in every season of life, and love until her very last breath.