Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Farewell to a Peacemaker sent from heaven....

There is a place in you where there is perfect peace.
There is a place in you where nothing is impossible.
There is a place in you where the strength of God abides.



I found this quote today and thought that it just suited my mood... because somewhere inside of me there is peace and God abides and I am just praying that this will sustain me right now. I am feeling so very sad at the news of the loss of a wonderful person, past co-worker and friend. Beyond that, I am feeling so very shocked at this loss.
Laurie was 46 and in perfect health. There was just no way that anyone would have predicted this...not that anyone does. But heart attacks don't happen to young, thin, healthy females.
I met Laurie during my first year working in Woodstock and she soon became like a mom...despite not being that much older than me. She always had a smile, always was positive and had wonderful things to say about everyone. She listened, she offered advice and she gave me a sense of peace when I was at work... in a job and setting that had some significant stresses.Ok, who am I kidding, we had a ton of stress and someone we worked with was manipulative, intimidating, untrustworthy, and had behaviour that more than bordered on harassment. Laurie would always make me feel supported and appreciated when you would come out from one of your manipulation sessions with him. She would do her best to bring peace to you and to make peace for you.
I miscarried at work one day when there and Laurie just wrapped her arms around me, told me it would be okay and sent me on my way with a promise to look after anything that needed to be done. She was one of the first people I told when I found I was expecting the next time and she was just an amazing support person during my pregnancy with Brycen. No matter how tired I looked or stressed I got, she always had a compliment.
She was the first person from work that I showed my ultrasound to when I found out about the twins. The next 12 weeks at that school were amazing. Each appointment I had, Laurie would ask how it went, did we know sex yet, etc. She wanted to see each ultrasound picture when I came back from those appointments too. I think she was more excited than I was... and I guess that was easy in a way since I was pretty stressed out. Laurie did her best to give me confidence and in turn a sense of peace about the twins. She always told me how good of a twin mommy I'd be and offered help and support in every way.
When we lost Cole, she sent me the most beautiful email and was a faithful follower of the blog I kept during the remainder of the pregnancy.
I haven't worked with her in a few years but ran into her every so often and she'd always ask all about me, about us...never telling me things about her first... so self-less and giving. Even though it's been years since we worked together, she will be a person that I will miss dearly from my life.
I really believe that God brought Laurie to this earth of ours to bring peace to others. She was a peacemaker, a confidence booster, an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on and most of all, an amazing friend. She brought peace to all who met her and I know she is the best example of a person of peace.

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