In Life We Called Her Angel Girl
July 3, 2026
Somehow it seemed Lauren liked nic names. Her favorite for herself was “LaLa”. Her moms favorite was “Angel Girl”.
Monday July 6th marks the 9th Anniversary since our daughter LaLa passed away. Of course that day was by far a very challenging
day. It was actually a very beautiful day to be in New England. Comfortable temperatures, clear blue sky, and bright and warm sunshine spilling into people’s hearts and minds. All that changed when my phone rang about 2 PM as I was driving home.
It seemed as if in that moment someone threw a switch and everything went dark. Over the past 9 years we have been trying to figure out what the lights coming back on looks like. The good news is they are; the reality check is it’s a process, every year is different and I expect this new one will be similar to the previous. A year of trying to understand, remembering, wondering, and I believe a year of healing. That’s what LaLa would want!
This year I thought it would be nice to remember the many moments in several challenging years when I was so proud of Lauren. There are many but I will choose just a few that I highlighted in past posts.
WHY THIS MATTERS
The first, highlights why it is so important to remember to do this when somebody we love is fighting an addiction or mental health issue.
The post is called Fading, but it talks about a moment when I was incredibly PROUD of Lauren. It was I believe the early steps of her truly wanting to get well.
FACING HARD CHOICES
The second is when Lauren made a very hard decision to go to school with her brother in Florida. It was hard because she did not want to leave home to go to school. Her intent was to go to the satellite campus of UCONN in Waterbury Connecticut.
When we got home from the tour, she said she might want to go to school with Evan in Florida. I didn’t know it then, but she had already recognized her addiction and thought going to school in Connecticut would make overcoming addiction even more difficult. Lauren and Evan were a great encouragement and support for one another. The whole story is in Eyes Filled With Hope | We Chose Love . While I did not know about the addiction at this time, I was incredibly proud of her because I knew how big a step it was for her.
MOVING TOWARD HOPE
The third comes from the post “She’s All Better Now | We Chose Love” and shows Lauren confronting her ambivalence and reshaping how she understood her health and addiction. Ambivalence is an important step for the addicted person. This article explains it well Ambivalence in Addiction | Psychology Today
AN UNEXPECTED FRIENDSHIP
The final moment I will share was not long before she passed away. It was when she publicly announced her struggles with addiction. Spurred by an article she read by Brianna Lyman. Lauren reached out to Brianna and they had a great dialogue about their views on addiction. I honestly believe that had LaLa lived Brianna and her would be good friends today. You can read more about this HUGE milestone in Laurens life in the post A Moment of Great Pride | We Chose Love .
WHY WE HAVE HOPE
There are so many other thoughts and posts I could share of me being proud of LaLa. But I believe the greatest is Why We Know Lauren Is Safe | We Chose Love
Thank you for all of your thoughts, prayers, meaningful gifts over these past 9 years. We greatly appreciate them.
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