I met Laura only about a year ago at a barn where McKenna and my daughter Sarah ride horses. When I met her I think our kids had already been riding together for a few weeks while their younger sisters (Vivian and Mila) played in the barn and entertained each other. The day we met it was cold and Laura was huddled in a chair in the corner of the arena wearing Birkenstocks (I think)and wooly socks, which was kind of funny in that environment! She also looked strikingly beautiful and frankly, no one really looks that good in a barn with seemingly little effort! I took up the seat beside her and we began to chat. She was so easy to talk to and exuded such warmth. I thought to myself, 'huh, who is this lovely person and ...how is she even old enough to be McKenna's mom? She looked so young! Then, seemingly out of nowhere she turned to me and said 'your daughters have been so kind to my girls. I want to thank you for that.' I was caught by surprise for its a bit unusual to have someone you've just met reach out so openly to express gratitude. Most of us are caught up in our heads, on our phones or swept by the hectic current of life. But not Laura, she simply connected and she felt instantly familiar and like a friend. Sadly, we did not get the opportunity to get to know each other well before she died. It was only a couple of months later that she was diagnosed with cancer. Over the next several months her girls came to my house to play with mine and ride horses and they have been a delight to have around. When I learned that Laura had died, I felt overwhelmed with sadness. That morning it had been stormy but it had cleared in the afternoon. We had gone out for a family bike ride, just before we heard the news. It was hot and hazy and as we rode along country roads lined with wildflowers I saw more butterflies than I had ever seen at once in my life, fluttering around freely and seemingly dancing through the flowers. I stopped to watch and instantly thought of Laura. Her presence, openness, and lightness of being was like a butterfly... I felt this again at the celebration of her life, which is one I will never forget. That evening had a magical quality to it-a stillness and beauty that shone through the sadness and grief. It was as if her spirit wrapped around every person there, uplifting us and holding us in that space. She was so clearly loved and as somewhat of an outsider even I felt like I belonged. I learned through the words of her sisters her friends and Ryan that evening that those qualities were quite simply Laura- it is how she lived her life. Her daughters seem to carry some of those same qualities and as a mom I know how proud she is of them.
Without a doubt McKenna, Cate and Vivian you will be held by your mom's presence throughout your lives. It may be invisible or feel fleeting, like a butterfly, but she is and will always be there, wrapping you in her love.