Laura L. Roberts

This Labor Day, as we were sitting in my sister’s hospital room, it was hard to believe how fast my family is growing. Jenny and her new baby boy, and next March, my next oldest sister would be a new mom, too. As Laura and her husband, Ben, turned to leave, that sense of awe that always comes when you’re reminded of someone you admire filled me to the brim. I have two other really awesome sisters, they really are great, but Laura was just another story.

Laura and Ben got married last June. Both of them had wanted this their whole lives. Laura wanted to marry the right person, and waited around a while to get whom she has now. They were married in an LDS temple, which is something I look up to Laura for, because it’s something I wish to be able to do someday.

Last year, at the beginning of the school year, she got offered a job as a fifth grade teacher in Provo. She had all the college needed for the job, and had student taught there the school year before. For some reason, the former teacher had to quit, and the school was desperate. Even though she knew it would be hard to jump right in to the school year, Laura accepted. This must have been hard for her because she had nothing planned, and didn’t have all summer to prepare. I look up to her for that.

I think being a teacher is a good enough reason for her to be a hero. For what she, and all teachers for that matter, gets paid, it really isn’t worth it. Kids can be tough, with their ungrateful, annoying, uncompromising, devious, and demanding attitudes. It takes someone really special to stick with teaching. Laura is patience, entertainment, and diligence all rolled into one as a teacher. Since she’s pregnant, she has been getting really sick lately. I’m sure this has cut into her teaching, but I haven’t heard her complain once. Maybe I just don’t hear it, but I think that’s amazing how she just keeps going.

She’s also something of a hero at home, too. She is implausibly patient when it comes to handling my brothers. The rest of us can be ready to ring their necks, and she can still be talking to them as even-tempered as ever. She somehow figures out how to please all three of my little brothers in one visit, even when they are all begging and whining for her attention. Reading books, playing video games, throwing footballs, playing board games, they come up with something to do, and she’ll do it. I barely even get to talk with her when she comes over; my brother’s fill her visits so full. I can’t believe her patience! They won’t even be bothering me and I’m annoyed, and she never even flips out on them.

Seeing her live her life right gives me hope, because so many times we see people who have made huge messes of their lives, but some people can make it. Knowing what is right has a lot to do with that. Deciding early on what you want to be in the long run is a good start. My sister knew what she wanted early on, and I think it really helped her later when major decisions came up.

Laura is a great sister, and a big inspiration to me. She reaches out to a lot of people, so I’m positive it’s not just me. She influences my family, her ward, her students, fellow teachers, and even my friends. She is good at taking bad situations and looking at the bright side. I’m glad she’s my sister, and she’s definitely a hero to me.