healing through helping

it has to be done right and professionally to create a good image for Meredith,” says Don.

Glenda admits to feeling some pressure coordinating the event, but it stems from the inevitable questions she knows it will draw about her daughter’s untimely death. Although she’s opened up a little to her intimate friends and had to answer the occasional question at her store, this is the first time Glenda will be faced with an unknowing public.

But Glenda knows as much as she wanted, she couldn’t fix Meredith’s problems. She credits the love and support of friends and family along with her faith in helping her move forward each day.

“I have learned that you are taken care of as much as you let God take care of you,” she says. “I know she’s safe. She’s at peace. I don’t have to worry about her. There was nothing else we could’ve done.”

Those close to Glenda have also seen the healing she experiences from honoring her daughter while benefiting the RACC.

“I think Meredith’s death was extremely difficult for her and continues to be,” says Ranelle, of Glenda. “But she made it her purpose to find meaning through Meredith’s death and that she was going to continue to move forward and not let her death be her defining moment. But that she would live and honor her memory.”

And Glenda is proud of the work she’s doing at My Best Friend’s Closet, now in its ninth year of business.

“What I wanted to do was run a business and be my own boss,” she states. “Despite the fact that I lost my partner, I’m still doing what I want to do and how I want to do it. And I’ve hired a young woman who is very much like Meredith. She acts like her in personality and creativeness.”

“Most everybody I know knows the story,” she says, adding, “but for the people who don’t know her, I don’t want them to think negatively about her. Why should it matter?” the future

She is still gone.

Living after Meredith’s death hasn’t been easy. Does Glenda wish she could have done more? Yes. Does she wish Meredith could have experienced more of life’s joys? Yes. Does she wish her daughter was there to greet her each morning at the store? Yes.

Elizabeth “Lizzie” Larson started working at the store three months after Meredith died in 2007. She was a student at Concordia College at the time. After college graduation she worked as a buyer for Christopher and Banks in Minneapolis. In February of this year, she began her present position as store manager.

“It’s been a 180 degree turnaround since I started in 2007,” explains Lizzie. “Glenda laughs a lot more. I love to see that. And I’m glad that I can be there for her. My family lives three hours away so I kind of always call her my second mom.”

My Best Friend’s Closet has expanded and now houses no less than four merchandise rooms. It also has a thriving social media presence and eBay business. The store is exactly where Glenda always wanted it to be.

“This is my outlet. This gives me my good feeling for the day and maintains my purpose,” she reasons.

Glenda doesn’t plan on exiting this role any time soon. Yes, there are things she’d like to do more of—travel, garden, read—but she’s not ready to give up the constant interaction and distraction the store gives her.

Still, her son has one wish for his mom. After all she’s been through, after all the striving for success, after all the effort she poured into helping her daughter stay healthy, after all the dedication she’s shown to Meredith’s legacy since, he wishes she will finally achieve some peace and rest for herself.

“I think that she has always survived and thrived on stress and she has always strived to do the best and be a part of so many things that I hope she finally