Laura and Mike
We generally try to keep things positive here, but this week we said goodbye to one of our dear friends. Laura was tragically taken by some medical events that, almost overnight went from minor to terminal. In fact, M talked to her via text the night before it all happened and Laura said she was feeling better. And our holiday party was her last social outing. So unreal.
Laura was one of the richest people we have ever known. Not necessarily financially, but in spirit. We talk about ‘wealth’ every day. And it’s usually financial. I know plenty of people who brag about their hoity-toity lives that successful business endeavors have given them… but at the end of the journey, none of them will be as rich as this woman. That’s the kind of wealth money can’t buy.
The outpouring of love that has been witnessed on Facebook and sure will be at today’s Celebration of Life is unbelievable. We didn’t know Laura as long as many. Only about 3 years. We worked with her when she ran the local office of a national non-profit foundation. Her enthusiasm for (fill in the blank) was contagious. It didn’t matter what she was doing, non-profit work, planning Mike’s birthday, job-hunting, talking about favorite cocktails, visiting for dinner, theater, whatever, she was always positive and it’s been a huge loss. Someone on Facebook put it perfectly:
It’s like on the coldest, darkest, night in winter, a group of homeless people are huddled around a fire to keep warm, and someone comes and stomps the fire out. The reaction would be “Hey! What are you doing?! We need that!”
Laura (Center)
We shared many nights out enjoying her and Mike’s friendship and the loss is just immeasurable. Laura could make anyone feel like they were the most important person in the world. Whether it was an elderly lady who raised money for that non-profit who showed up at an event and demanded Laura sign her in (and Laura did, despite being too busy), or whether it was the CEO of a hospital. In her eyes, everyone was important and deserved the attention.
We can’t fill the hole that has been left by this tragedy, all we can do is give our love and support to Mike and Will and try to live our lives as much like Laura as we can. We need that!
