Hi Dr. Laura,
 
I wanted to send you a quick message about my grandma. We have always lived about 3 hours apart, but I was lucky and barely realized that fact, as we got to see each other every couple of weeks. During our visits, I insisted we sleep in the same bed and begged for her to recite one of her famous "log cabin stories", usually adapted from a Little House on the Prairie episode, except with more bears, mountain lions, and snakes. They weren't for the faint of heart! 

During the summer, I loved going to spend weeks with her in her tiny town, visiting the square, and meeting every single person in town who already knew ALL about me - Grandma was quite a talker!. We made many road trips around the state, in search of the perfect cowboy boots for me or a unique antique to add to her extensive collection. During the Beanie Baby phase, that poor woman ate McDonald's happy meals for months on end, trying to snag each and every "Mini Beanie Baby" for us. When I got older and fell into a tomboy phase, she searched out the best baseball card dealer and often drove me 2 hours to hang out with his collection. During my collegiate years, our relationship evolved to a wonderful friendship. She was the second person after my mom on my frequent call list, as we loved to just chat about each other's daily happenings. 

She first got sick last May and was mistakenly diagnosed with Alzheimer's.  In December, we found out it was really brain cancer. By then it was too late for an 86 year-old woman to put up a strong defense. My grandma passed away two weeks ago. My parents and I were blessed enough to be with her as she passed and tell her how much we loved her. Since then, it has been a whirlwind of arrangements, moving trucks, and family in town. 

After all the family left and I went back to work, the emotions hit me, and I was a mess all day. I kept looking for something - anything - to distract my mind enough to allow me to continue with my daily routine at work. I stumbled upon your podcast. I failed to mention above that your radio show was also a staple on our many road trips, always trying to find the newest station carrying your voice as we went in and out of radio frequencies. My grandma and I listened to you preach for hours on end, and loved every minute of it. Well, the first two episodes of your podcast were women who had called in, still distraught about losing their fathers. Your advice and their words couldn't have rang truer in my ears. It was as if I was hearing my grandma's voice through you saying "Don't you worry about me!" It was the only thing I needed to hear at that moment. 

Thank you for that and thanks for "listening". Keep up your strong work. 

Sincerely, 

Allison