MARY LAMPHERE AUTHOR

Barely into the new year and we’ve already suffered a familial loss. Dave’s Aunt Laurie passed last week. Although we hadn’t seen Laurie in over ten years, a result of collateral damage, her passing greatly saddens me.

She was an excellent elementary school teacher who never had children of her own but was inspiring and kind and extremely generous to my kids. With her finger on the pulse of kindergarten through fifth grade trends, Laurie had a knack for knowing what gifts were hip and cool and popular (yet still educational, shhhh). And when my kids outgrew her elementary school insight, she was the first to present us with family events. Thanks to Aunt Laurie, we visited the Brookfield Zoo, saw Blue Man Group, the Chicago Wolves hockey team, and A Wrinkle in Time at the Lifeline Theater, among other outings.

In the years since we last spent time with her, her mental and physical health had declined. By the end, she was absent of her happy personality, engaging intelligence, and reliably smiling face. In a way, it’s a relief to be able to remember her as her whole self. Her joy, creativity, and love of game play will continue to resonate with me.

We share our wedding anniversary with her birthdate. The annual reminder will hit me differently this year, but that’s the burden and beauty of such things–heartfelt memories that spark emotion and give life, albeit briefly, to those we’ve lost.