laura

as far as mother-in-laws go, i’m quite certain i won the jackpot. even before aaron and i tied the knot, laura showed me the kind of unconditional love and acceptance that i once believed nonexistent.

when i drunkenly broke aaron’s desk well after midnight many years ago, effectively interrupting the game she was playing in the next room over, she didn’t burst in and demand her son’s rude friend immediately leave. she just laughed. and when we passed each other in the hallway the following morning, she gave me a smile and said something along the lines of, “well, you had an exciting night!”

when i needed to colour my hair before the final harry potter film premiere, she dropped everything she was doing to help me. she let me use (and stain) her old clothes, and she told me (at least part of) the roller coaster story of her ever-changing hair colour and style while we waited for my lily-potter-red to set.

when i first spoke to her about the baby-on-the-way, she wrapped me in the warmest embrace and began offering ideas of things she could do to help us right away — quilts she could sew, toys she could buy, books she could collect, nurseries she could decorate.

when i came over to help announce the engagement with aaron, she couldn’t stop happy-crying or happy-screaming or happy-hugging. she was so delighted at the idea of finally having a daughter, she offered one of her most precious rings as the engagement ring.

and when i stood at her side on her final day, she told me how happy she was that i met her son. how happy she was we fell in love. how happy she was we gave her a grandchild she would always cherish.

laura is so loved, and she is so missed.