The Dance

This is the story that I would have shared at Lori's memorial service on Friday,
if I had only had the composure to stand up and do so.
I just couldn't hold it together well enough to not break down completely
upon seeing the tear-filled eyes of her sweet husband and children in the front row.
Even though this story would have perfectly complemented a song
that Lori herself had chosen for her service: 'The Dance', by Garth Brooks,
I just couldn't find the strength to do it.

So, I'll share this precious story here, where I have shared so many other things...

"The Dance"

In May of 2012, I visited Lori in Chicago. I was there for a week.
One day, she took me up to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin - a beautiful setting that she wanted to share with me.
We took a boat cruise around the lake, walked around the town and did some shopping,
and then we went to a historic local restaurant for a late lunch.

At the Baker House, they have about a hundred hats hanging on the walls -
and the idea is that you choose one to wear during your visit there.
I love hats, so I grabbed a top hat and popped it on my head.
Lori stood with her arms crossed, a scowl on her face, and said 'I am NOT wearing a hat, DebraSue'.
I simply picked up a hat that matched her outfit and said, 'Yes, you are, LoriAnn. For me.'
[I knew she was sassing me whenever she used my full name - and I used hers right back]
I pushed that big floppy hat down on her head, and she scowled even more!
But she wore it. And she even let the waitress take our picture while she scowled.
That picture is shown in this post.

After we finished our meal on the sun porch, we went into the salon...
where a pianist and guitarist were playing lovely show tunes. A vocalist joined in on a few.
We were sitting on the sofa, enjoying the music and a glass of wine,
and I noticed that Lori was watching something.

In an adjacent room, a family had been dining together at a table.
When the song began, two couples rose and began to dance to it.
Still sitting at the table was a young man of about 25, with Down Syndrome,
wistfully watching the couples dance.

Without a word, Lori touched my arm with her hand, and rose...
She walked over to the young man, reached out her hand to him, and asked 'May I have this dance?'
The smile that broke across that young man's sweet face was like the sunrise.
He stood, took her in his arms, and turned her around the floor
while they laughed and talked and smiled.
His joy was rapturous. Her smile was beaming.
I snapped two photos - but the dim lighting in the restaurant resulted in the blurry photo up above.

When the song ended, they stopped and clapped with the rest of us, and then
Lori thanked him for the dance. He bowed to her, and she curtseyed to him.

The other two couples - turned out to be his parents and aunt & uncle - went up to Lori
and thanked her for dancing with their son.
She shook her head no, and told them it had been a blessing to HER to have danced with him.

That was Lori...
She never missed an opportunity to show love and kindness, or to make a new friend.
She never hesitated to put her love into action.
She seized each moment and lived it.
She danced through life.

And I, for one, consider myself so very blessed to have danced along with her for awhile...