When the doctors told Laura Ben-David her illness was terminal, she didn’t retreat from life. She didn’t shut down. She leaned in — with grace, curiosity, and a quiet kind of courage.

By then, her body was tired. She was mostly in a wheelchair. But even a week before she died, we were still talking about seasonal color analysis. She wanted to know what colors would bring out her features. What makeup to try. She had just had her hair cut and shaped. She was still curious. Still asking questions. Still imagining a future — even as she knew her time was short.

But as she reminded me, everyone’s time is short. We just don’t always know it. What matters isn’t how many pages are left. What matters is how we live the ones we have.

And Laura lived hers with clarity and care. She connected with people deeply — across faiths, across borders. I’m seeing outpourings of love from Muslims, Christians, Jews — from people who knew her and from people who never met her but felt her impact. That says everything about the life she lived.

She wasn’t flashy. She wasn’t trying to be anyone but herself. But she showed up — fully, honestly, unapologetically, and always mindfully. That’s one of the many legacies she leaves: a reminder to be present, to care, to connect, to keep learning. To live even as we’re dying — because, in some way, we all are.

And if........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)