Laura J. Davis

This is my friend Sue Minns. This picture pretty much describes everything about Sue. That smile lit up a room and her laugh and sense of humour stayed with you for hours after talking to her. Sue was an incredible speaker who managed to touch the hearts of people all over Canada. She loved to laugh at what most people would call "bad" things, but she could find something funny about any situation. Her philosophy? Try to find the humour in everything. Keep an eye out for it because there is always something funny to find - even with MS and cancer. Her humourous attitude toward life was a gift from God and her faith in Jesus to see her through life's trials - and she had many of them (depression, breast cancer, a devastating house fire, MS) - made her testimony about God's faithfulness all the more powerful.

Sue was famous for her red stiletto shoes.

"The way I see it, if you have to spend your days in a wheelchair you can either whine about it or your can seize the opportunity to wear smokin' red high heels with zero discomfort."

That was the way Sue looked at life - always with a positive. She even tried to convince me that I should get a wheelchair as it was the best thing that had ever happened to her. "I can go anywhere I want now. Best thing that ever happened to me was getting this wheelchair!" Her words, not mine. She saw me limping and new I was in pain. In fact, right up until the time she went into hospital, she was still trying to convince me to get one.

Sue died on September 29, 2011 of stomach cancer. I was supposed to go in and see her that day. I was going to surprise her with a bouquet of flowers - and my new red scooter. It wasn't a wheelchair, but I knew it would have brought a smile and a chuckle from her and it's no coincidence that it's red.

Today, I will in some small measure (I hope), give comfort to her husband Rick and her sons Jake and Jesse. Tomorrow, we are having a going away party. Again, Sue's idea. I know almost everyone there (men and women) will be sporting red shoes of some kind. I also know, for me at least, that when I think of Sue's red shoes I hear in my head the constant refrain, "There's no place like home. There's no place like home." So, I will wear my red shoes, share a story or two and then click my heels three times and rejoice in the fact that my dear friend is truly home.