Deb is not your typical corporate lawyer. She may look the part with her nice trousers and Ralph Lauren sweaters, but like your parents always say, ‘it’s what’s on the inside that counts.’ When my dad injured his neck while moving a treadmill, he had to stay home from work for a month, creating legal and financial difficulties. Deb volunteered five hours of her time to sort out their legal problems. She worked with my parents and never charged them a cent. That does not sound like your typical lawyer to me. She’s the most caring and considerate lawyer I’ve ever known. Deb has been my mom’s best friend for 25 years, so I’ve known her all of my life. She’s the most caring and gentle lawyer I’ve ever known. Growing up, she treated me like more of a daughter than a god daughter. Deb is a great role model because she is so well-balanced. She is a wife, mom, lawyer, friend, strong Christian and a volunteer, while remaining caring and collected.

A typical day in Deb’s life should be chaos, but she breezes right through it. In the morning, she wakes up at six to take care of the laundry and make sure her kids are ready for school. Then Deb starts to work at home, where she manages her own business for the parks of Carmel. Next, she heads off to the Central Park office in Carmel for about five hours. She’ll typically leave in time to be home before the kids are back from school. Most extra time she has she spends volunteering for her job, church, or kids’ school. She only has time for lunch with friends about twice a week. The rest of her free time she spends with her family.
Deb dedicates her life to meet the needs of everyone else. Sometimes I wonder if she ever thinks of herself. I remember one Veteran’s Day she came by asking for flowers from my garden, and I said yes, of course. I was curious, so I asked her why she needed the flowers. She answered that she was going to take them to place on the graves of war veterans. Deb is such a sweet, thoughtful, modest person. She seems to always be saying “Don’t even start to thank me.” It hurts to see anything harm her. One of the main obstacles in Deb’s life is saying yes to volunteer too much. “I tend to find myself in a bind time wise.” How many people do you know who have a volunteering problem? She always seems so calm and collected that I just had to ask how she kept it all together. She answered to pray, schedule and try to stay organized. This plan works well for her, but if anyone else tried to take on her crowded schedule, they might become overwhelmed. It’s not easy for someone to volunteer if they’re not willing to give their time to others.

Deb cares deeply for everyone and everything in her life. She sacrifices her time for your needs without thinking about how it would affect her. For example, when I was nine, I was getting allergy tested, and Deb came by to visit me in the hospital. She brought me presents to help pass the time. I still have the beanie baby and puzzle that she brought me. They remind me of Deb’s thoughtfulness. She has always been considerate toward everyone else’s situations. One Valentine’s Day, I was home sick with the flu, and Deb dropped by with a Limited Edition Valentine’s Day beanie baby. When I think of Deb, I remember the Beanie Baby’s she brought me because that was “our thing.” Whenever I was down, she knew a new Beanie Baby and some company would cheer me up.

Kindness seems to come naturally to Deb. The kindest act that she has ever done was spending time with her late friend Karen’s parents. Even while she was telling me about this, she looked down, saddened. It always hurts to see Deb hurt. You see, one of Deb’s best friends, Karen, died of a brain aneurism this Thanksgiving. It tore Deb apart. That would have been distressing enough, but Karen’s parents came in for the funeral, needing a place to stay. Deb brought Karen’s parents to a nice hotel where she visited and helped take care of them. Even though she was grieving, she helped Karen’s parents because she knew that’s what her friend would have wanted. She is so compassionate and kind towards others. It makes you feel like you should change for the better to be more like her.

Whenever I see Deb, I can’t help but notice she has it all together. She has such a well-balanced life that she described as “full, complete, and blessed.” I asked her to sum up her whole life in one word. After a full minute, she came up with “gift.” That just shows how thoughtful Deb has always been. With all of the time and effort she gives for others, I think she’s completely deserving of a blessed life.
From the outside, Deb’s life may seem well-organized and together, but truly, it can be a bit hectic. Deb described herself first as a wife and a mom, then a friend, and a lawyer. Becoming a lawyer was a “leap of faith” for Deb. “I was trying to find a balance between work and home that worked well for me.” While attending a ‘Christ Renews His Parish’ weekend at her church, she discovered that “I was afraid to quit my old job and start my own law firm with her own clients.” Like always, it led right back to God for Deb. In fact, Deb’s favorite quote is “Let go and let God.” Deb chose to become a lawyer because she was from a family where post-graduate school was common, even expected. She graduated with a teaching certificate, but there were so little teaching jobs she decided to apply to law school. She was accepted and attended law school for three years. In spite of the many years she has dedicated to law, what matters most in her life is her family, friends, and God.

Deb is my hero because she juggles being a wife, mother, friend, lawyer, volunteer, and firm believer while remaining caring and collected. Deb has been my mom’s best friend all of my life, and she has been there for all of these years. When brought up to my mom, Deb’s best friend, she called Deb, “the most loyal friend you could ask for. She’s like the sister I’ve chosen; she’s my other half. She is undyingly faithful and unfailingly honest. Deb is somehow always there when you need her most.”