tl;dr: Writer A.J. Jacobs pays tribute to his mother Ellen Jacobs, who died recently at 84, recounting her many roles as a supportive parent, beloved middle-school science teacher (whose students included famed chef Dan Barber), skilled cloisonné jeweler, devoted grandmother, and NYPL docent. He highlights their long-running daily gratitude email exchange and her determined optimism despite a natural tendency to worry, crediting her with teaching him kindness, curiosity, and humor as coping tools.