Laura

“For there is no friend like a sister, in calm or stormy weather; to cheer one on the tedious way, to fetch one if one goes astray, to lift one if one totters down, to strengthen whilst one stands." -- Christina Rossetti

My sister was five years younger than I. For many years that seemed like a huge gap. She was the baby of the family, and I was often jealous of her, though I still loved her deeply. She was precocious for sure. She was a one-of-a kind individual, and we never knew what she would be into next.

When she was little and just beginning to talk, she was like our free home-entertainment system. Someone in the family would just say a word, and then she would start talking. Sometimes it made sense, sometimes it didn't. It didn't matter. She could talk forever about that one word, or at least until we threw out a new word. As she grew older, she was able to sing a song that went with any word or situation that drew her attention. This was sometimes entertaining and sometimes, like on long car trips, very irritating. Another special gift she possessed was the ability to come up with an applicable movie/tv quote at a second's notice. This particular gift brought me hours of entertainment!

Naptime when she was young could often be a time of surprise and apprehension for my parents. Once she woke up from her nap with a comb rolled up in her long, fine hair all the way to her scalp. It took my mom forever to cut out each tooth of the comb without also cutting too much of Laura's hair. Another time she woke up with a metal washer on her finger. As she slept, her finger had swollen, and my parents could not remove the washer. As they discussed what should be done, my dad kept saying that they'd have to cut it off. Laura, thinking he meant her finger, would scream hysterically. They tried soap and water, lotion, oil. all to no avail. Upon someone's advice, they finally took her, crying maniacally, to the dentist! The dentist used his drill and cut the washer (not her finger) off quickly and carefully. Crisis averted. Naptime was always an adventure for Laura.

Laura seemed to get every sickness that came around. When she was four, she was ill with a terrible case of pneumonia. She was in the hospital for a long time, and for part of that time she hung perilously close to death. My parents were with her 24 hours a day, so my brother and I stayed with friends. It was an awful time for all of us. I was worried about my little sister, and I missed my mom dreadfully. It was the only time I remember losing my temper at school. (That was strange because I was known for losing my temper often at home.) It was a joyful time when she was at last well enough to come home, and our lives returned to normal. This bout with pneumonia left her very susceptible to future illnesses, and we were always hyper-aware of her picking up germs somewhere.

Laura, like most people, was a person of paradoxes. She was terrified of anyone dressed up as a character, like Santa Claus, Disney characters, or Chuck E. Cheese. This terror followed her even into middle school. I remember once when Laura visited me while I was in college. A group of us went to Chuck E. Cheese's for our after-cafeteria-dinner meal, and 8th grade Laura went along. Even at that age, she refused to go anywhere near that mouse! On the other hand, Laura's bravery was often quite evident. At 10 years old, she decided to get her ears pierced and jumped heroically into the chair; I was 15 and meekly followed along, petrified the entire time and close to passing out. I would never have gone through with it without her leading. Her amazing courage was also evident in her ability to perform wonderfully and with no outward fear at a very early age. She played piano for our uncle's wedding when she was only 11 years old, played in church every Sunday from middle school on, and was the star of every recital she was ever in.

The two of us shared a room for many years. Her messy nature did not always go well with my compulsively neat nature. I would get so frustrated when I would come in the room after school and find drawers halfway open and clothes or toys out of place. She also made herself at home with my stuff when I was at school. I still remember the broken Brady Bunch record and all the books that she wrote in, using her made-up cursive letters. On the other hand, I also remember having someone to snuggle up to in bed, someone to whisper with in the night, someone to read books to. Some of Laura's favorites were Mr. Pine's Mixed-Up Signs, The Fire Cat, and A Present for the Princess. The most special thing was having someone who shared the same experiences I had. We didn't just share a room;  we shared life.

Laura was always a source of joy, laughter, love, and entertainment. From her ability to recite certain television or movie passages to her amazing talent on the piano, she always seemed to be in performance mode. She loved making others laugh and loved laughing along with them. There was a softer side to her too. She never forgot a birthday or an anniversary and always put people before tasks. She could light up a room with her smile. My sister, though five years younger than I, was someone I have set my heart on emulating. She was and always will be my dearest friend.