I first met Laura in secondary school. I don’t know who first started talking to who. I’m going to ask her, because I am curious now! I remember our ‘regi’ class [form group] lined up at the classroom next to hers.

Even though we don’t often talk or text (though we are at the moment) I know we think of and pray for each other, and she’d be on the end of the phone if I needed her and vice-versa..

Whatever I write here will not do her justice, at all, but here are my three favourite qualities in Laura:

Her amazing loyalty is what I think of first… Though I was a Christian at this point, and a baptised one at that I could be quite nasty sometimes and stir things between people… cause trouble basically, though I have no idea why now, and wish I had befriended those I made trouble for instead. Anyway, Laura stood by me through all of that. I moved about 90 minutes drive away from the town I’d lived in when I met her, and Laura is the only one who is close now despite distance between us.

Laura is one of the kindest, most cheerful people I know. She works with disabled kids in a unit attached to our old school. Not the one where we met because that’s no longer there. The new build is called something different but some of the same staff were still there the last time we talked about school and Laura’s work. I have no doubt she is amazing at what she does, with her kind and caring attitude, and a smile on her face. I bet she makes the kids she works with feel good about themselves too. I remember Laura accompanying her brother to their local Church Youth Group, as he couldn’t go without someone with him. She helps her Mum out a lot and I remember her helping with the kids too. I am sure there are loads of other examples, as Laura is always ready and willing to help someone in need, but I don’t know about it because she doesn’t shout about it.

I don’t ever remember Laura not being cheerful and having a smile on her face. I don’t ever remember her feeling down either. She’ll cheer me up when I need it, often with a funny story about something one of the kids did, as her Mum is a child minder. Whatever life throws at her, she seems to just get on with it, which I really admire. I have no doubt there will have been times she’s cried, but I don’t know about them.

Guess I would if I know about those times if I lived nearer. I really wish I did. We don’t see each other often as there are hundreds of miles between us now, and neither of us can drive… yet! Laura is learning, and getting there by the sound of it. Will give her a lot more freedom, though it will be a long time before I ask her to drive to Leeds! I can’t travel on my own these days and it’s still not totally sorted out yet, but I asked (told) her to come down to Leeds with her sister this summer. Really looking forward to seeing them both and catching up. Creating mischief is more like it. More ankle bashing, Laura?!

 

“God made us best friends because our mums couldn’t handle us as sisters” (author unknown)