Laura and I met briefly when we both were part of a Gourmet Club that I quit shortly after she joined. We didn’t have a long history yet she was that person that made you feel like you were just as important as a friend she’d known since childhood. We ran into one another one night in downtown St. Catharines and ended up spending the evening bar hopping and laughing our way through the night. We followed one another on Social Media and threw each other likes on our posts and DM’s, about food (mostly;), we had posted on our Instagram stories. Even as an acquaintance level friend I felt like she was invested in my life and cheering me on.
Recently I went back through our DM’s and I was really overwhelmed. You see, over what were the certainly the most heart breaking months of Laura’s life, I brought a baby into this world. And Laura, God bless her beautiful light and life, never stopped messaging me encouragements and likes and loves on my stories and posts. And it just broke my heart to know that all those months she was ill and hurting and in pain and all of the other things she was feeling and experiencing yet she still dug into some place within herself to love on me in my time of joy and celebration.
The day Laura passed I just laid nursing my five month old baby and cried thinking what Laura would give for another year, month, minute with her beautiful girls. This life here on earth doesn’t make sense. Death doesn’t make sense. Laura’s kindness, friendship and beautiful heart are something I will always cherish.
Ryan, I don’t know you well, but other than Laura and I DM’ing about food and this baby of mine, we always went back and forth about you two. I am going to DM you more screen shots but man, she loved you so much and you and the girls have been and will always be in our thoughts and prayers. I know all the love in the world that you guys are surrounded by could never replace everything Laura brought into this world, but I just add my own love and care to the chorus that is uplifting you all because I know Laura would have done the same (and more) for my family.
Laura. I want to be a better mother because you were certainly one of the best and I will never understand why your time with your girls was cut short. Thank you for breathing so much beauty into this dark world. I cannot wait to see you again someday when everything wrong is made right and all these tears are dried and our healing is made whole and complete in Jesus.