Mimicked her imprecise measurements – a dash here, sprinkle there. Sauteed cilantro, sweet peppers, garlic, and onions, as she did. Found one of her home gowns neatly folded in a top drawer. I shut my eyes and breathed in her fading scent, which swirled with the kitchen aromas, and she emerged.

Nancy is the author of the empowerment guide La Mariposa (the butterfly): A Personal Empowerment Program for Adolescent Latinas and serves as Co-Chair for the national nonprofit, One Circle Foundation. She lives in Manhattan, where she is writing her memoir, The Mariposa Years.