Memorial Day is about remembering. And today, I want to remember Laura.
Laura didn’t travel the world in her lifetime — not physically, anyway. But she had plans. She wanted to. She was always looking forward to “someday.” In the meantime, she traveled in the way she knew best: through books.
She read everything — novels, nonfiction, memoirs, audiobooks, anything with a voice. And she listened. That was one of her quiet gifts. She truly listened — not just to stories, but to people. She accepted everyone exactly as they were, with a kind of calm grace that’s rare. She never rushed to fix or judge. She just made space. For people, for characters, for ideas.
When Laura was diagnosed with cancer, she faced it with that same quiet strength. She didn’t talk much about it — only a few close family and friends knew what she was going through. She didn’t want pity or for anyone to feel sorry for her. She didn’t hide what was happening, but she kept it close, private, personal.
She never worried about how she looked. She didn’t wear a wig. When her hair began to grow back, she welcomed it simply — no fuss, just quietly brave.
That’s who Laura was.
This website — Books That Travel the World — came from her spirit. From that open-hearted curiosity. From her belief that stories connect us, and that you don’t need a plane ticket to understand someone else’s life.
Laura didn’t get to go everywhere she dreamed of. But she saw more than most of us ever will. Through books, she wandered cities she’d never stepped foot in. She lived lives that weren’t hers, and came back changed. And through that, she changed the people around her, too.
Today, we remember those who gave their lives in service — and I hold that remembrance with care. But I also remember Laura: her kindness, her curiosity, her strength, and her quiet dignity through everything she faced.
And I’ll keep reading. For her. Because she would have kept going.
If you’re looking for something to read today in her honor, choose anything that makes you feel something true. She would’ve said that was enough.
