Lara Shearer Rogers

"Dada" Thoughts of Lara
By the way, La's name for me, "Dada", came from one of her favorite movies, Willow, directed by Ron Howard, and written by George Lucas in 1988, when La was 4 years old. She has been calling me that for 25 years. And I know I'll be hearing her call me that in the conversations that I have with her every day between this moment and the time I leave this earth. She has always loved movies and even appeared in the movie Piranha 3D filmed at Lake Havasu near Arizona State University, where she was attending college at the time. I still have her W-2 from that film. I would also note that I opened a Roth IRA account for Lara back when she was earning babysitting money in her early teens, the current balance of which, along with the remainder of Lara's estate, will be deposited into a charitable foundation established in her honor. The foundation's mission will be developed by Lara's father, mother and sister over the ensuing months. I have always fondly referred to Lara as "La" or my little "La Bug".
Lara was born at 9:33AM on June 14, 1984 at Baptist Memorial Hospital East in Memphis, TN. The time and date are printed on her little hospital baby wrist bracelets, which I have kept all these years….but yet so "few" years really. The little bracelets are about one inch in diameter. My precious little baby girl.
During the few years prior to Lara's birth, a new medical test, known as a PKU test , was discovered that could diagnose thyroid problems in newborn babies. Lara was, in fact, born without a functioning thyroid gland and so this new test was able to detect her thyroid defect early on which allowed her medical team to begin giving her tiny doses of synthetic thyroid medication very quickly after birth. That saved her from developing abnormal brain function and perhaps worse had the new test not yet been developed or used by the physicians. But, thankfully, the hospital where Lara was born was actually a pioneer in developing this new test and Dr. Camacho, her pediatric endocronologist, was one of the first physicians in America to utilize it. So Lara just happened to be delivered during the right year, at the right hospital, in the right city, with the right pediatric endocronologist , to the right parents and to the right three year old perfect big sister, friend and soul mate….which allowed her to enter into this world completely healthy and able to naturally develop into the fun-loving, energetic, happy little girl that she has become, living an idyllic childhood and evolving into a giving, kind, loving, talented and strikingly beautiful young woman……a creative genius wrapped in a gorgeous, yet tiny package filled with an immense imagination as well as incredible artistic talents. Lara was truly a "miracle" baby….a gift from God.
So photogenic, so beautiful in spirit, so beautiful physically, so kind, so talented, so loving, so loved. Wow, this world has been so blessed by Lara….and I loved showing her off….truly a proud father.
Even her elementary school national test scores evidenced an extremely "intellectually" bright little girl, in addition to her other God given creative talents.
She was selected by the national publication, Girls Life, in the December/January 1997 edition as a "Girl of the Year" at age 12. She was recognized as the "Entrepreneur of the Year" by Girls Life for her creation of tiny felt Teddy Bears, to be worn as pins on a lapel.
Richard Simmons, the exercise guru, sat next to her on a flight coming back home to Kansas City from Arizona State University where she majored in …can you guess?.....Art, of course. And when we picked her up at the airport, Richard looked directly in Janet's and my eyes and exclaimed….."you know, Lara is just the most adorable girl I've ever met…..just precious….".
From kindergarten forward, Lara just could not stand to be cooped up….always wanting to be outside, unrestrained, playing, running, jumping, laughing, yelling, riding bikes, sledding, collecting sea shells on the beach near the family cottage in Stone Harbor, New Jersey, and on and on and on and on and on.
Speaking of running, she ran all the way to 4 straight varsity letters in a decorated track program in one of the largest public high schools in the state of Kansas and was selected the most valuable female track athlete her senior year in high school.
Probably the best summer of her life, however, was spent in the year 2000, at age 16, at Camp Cheley, located at the doorway to Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), near Estes Park, CO. Yet another of her God given talents was her ability to make people she met feel comfortable around her. Everyone wanted to be around her because she was so much fun. Those traits allowed La to make friends easily, which she did at Camp Cheley. At the same time as she was making so many new friends there, she was in "Lara" heaven, hiking and mountaineering in RMNP, rock climbing, trail "bike" riding, river rafting on the Poudre River, horseback riding and enjoying the dinners in the massive camp eating hall after all the exhilarating activities left their young healthy bodies famished. Lara especially liked the mashed potatoes.
Here is an excerpt from a letter that she wrote to us from Camp Cheley during that summer of 2000. "…..so how is it down in Kansas? I love (heart shape) it up here. Dad you were so right! After I got here, I just had a blast and I am so NOT ready to come home. I've met so many amazing people and done so many amazing things. I added some pictures from a roll of film that I got developed even though you've probably seen a "buttload" of me on the web! Whenever I see that digital camera, I jump right in front of it." A special note from Lara's counselors later thanked us for sharing her with them for the summer.
Evidences of her creative talent and beauty (e.g. artwork, photography et al) are abundant and some of her work, photography, and photos of Lara will be posted online in a Picasa web album that is (or soon will be) included as a link below this writing. Please enjoy looking at some of her reflective and philosophic work.
I couldn't be more proud of her as a father and love her so passionately and deeply with every living cell in my mortal being. I look forward so much to being with her again. That probably won't be for a while but as a lifelong and dear friend reminded me only recently, we are well onto the "back nine" of our own lives.
Lara was baptized into the Episcopal Church by the same priest that performed the Sacrament of Holy Unction (for the injured or dying) near the time of her birth. That said, she has always sensed that a kind-hearted power beyond human comprehension would take her "home" someday. Such is life on this earth. We are only here for a moment. Our lives are truly judged by how many lives we have touched in a positive way here. And, measured on that scale, Lara is enjoying a special place in that Kingdom beyond human comprehension…and rightfully so.
You have blessed us all baby girl. And we can't wait for our reunion. Enjoy that place we call heaven until then. I love you La Bug, Dada.
[Picasa web album coming soon]