REBECCA (old Hebrew meaning snare, bind on, breathtakingly beautiful) Good grief, if that isn’t the most boring, generic, uninspiring explanation for someone’s name then I don’t know what is, because it doesn’t do justice to Rebecca Mitchell at all. Permit me to take a few minutes of your time to describe the Rebecca Mitchell I do know. Rebecca is kind. Rebecca truly cares. Rebecca is someone who has a great deal of empathy for others. Rebecca is one of the kindest people I have ever met. It is not an act. Her kindness comes from inside her; it is a part of her; and that is so rare. The past few weeks have been very traumatic for me and yet during that time Rebecca was always there for me; nothing was too much trouble; whether it was giving me a hug at the beginning of every Open House and telling me how strong I was; or listening to me during one of my interminable telephone calls; because Rebecca also listens and understands. Rebecca is also incredibly optimistic which (unlike the abovementioned characteristics) is a very handy attribute if one is a real estate agent. In her occupation you really do need to have the ability (as Monty Python always encouraged us to do) to “always look on the bright side of life” and this is what Rebecca does all the time. When I was a little girl, I was taught by my very British Grandma that “unless I was dying or in the process of actually giving birth” then I had to “get up, dress up, and turn up”! And on all those seemingly interminable Open House days when my energy stocks were severely depleted, that is what I did: I dragged myself out of bed; I showered and dressed and put on my makeup; I opened the door to Rebecca; and then I walked away, because I trusted Rebecca, full-stop. And day after day, week after week, Rebecca never gave up. She was diligent to the point of infinity. There is a quote from the movie Galaxy Quest which is a family favourite in our house: “Never give in! Never surrender!” And that i


