Laurie's 21st Birthday Eve

In one hour it will be June 7th, what should have been Laurie's 21st birthday. I have been anticipating and thinking of how this day will look for a few weeks and now we are here. I don't face tomorrow with dread, instead I want to celebrate a life well lived.
When I think of all the awesome things she got to do in 20 years, I marvel. She went to Europe with Pam, she saw Yellowstone Park with her dad, we had trips all over the place: Colorado, Disney World, the West Virginia rafting trip, Oregon. She lived and served in Mexico for 10 months, she sky dived with me, she skied in several places, she finally snowboarded (Thanks, Trinity). She loved and cared for the elderly, she loved and cared for little kids, she loved and cared for her friends, she loved and cared for her family, she loved and cared for Scott. And she was loved and cared for by all of us...She led her small groups and she spoke in front of large groups. She left me an amazing video from her speech class saying I was her hero. She fed the homeless, she loved her Starbucks customers, she loved Harper College, she loved Lake Geneva Youth Camp. She took joy in the most ordinary things and the most extraordinary. She witnessed her nephew being born, she sang worship songs at New Community. She performed the Ultimate cheer! She played Ultimate frisbee with zeal! She touched us, she touched me. She has been one amazing gift and I celebrate Laurie Boncimino...
Tomorrow Katie and I will go down to Lake Michigan and pray and thank God for her.
Tomorrow I will buy some Starbucks coffee and a sandwich and give it to some random person in her honor. I hope others will do the same. Tomorrow we will break open a bottle of champagne and toast this young woman I am proud to say was my daughter! And I will continue to thank God for her.

And I will thank God for each of you who continue to pray all of us through this journey. I will thank God for all the donations to The Overnight Walk for suicide prevention. Tonight, ironically, Laurie's Legacy Team made it to the top 5 teams out of 250! I will thank God for the opportunity I had today to spend time with Scott, Jessie, Kelly and Mike as we gathered to honor and pray for Jessie's parents and Denny and Laurie at the cemetery where Jess's parents are buried. I will thank God for a family that is bruised but not defeated. I will thank God for being the Lord of the universe. I will thank God for sending His Son for each of us...