Good Bye My Dearest Friend

After fighting cancer for almost 3 years, my best friend in the world, Cyndi, has gone home to Jesus.

Many of you have been praying for her and her family for a couple of years now, and I thank you so much for that. I know what your prayers meant to her - it gave her such comfort and strength to realize that so many people all over the world were praying for her.

I was going through my pictures today and gathering all the ones I had of Cyndi. I just had this need to see them and remember all of the great times we had [and the sad ones too that she helped me through so reliably]. I'm going to share some of my favorites of her here.

This is my favorite picture of Cyndi. She is holding her youngest child, my God daughter, and I love the way she looks in this photo:

This is Cyndi with her wonderful husband and her 6 amazing children [and I'm not just saying that - they really were as happy as they look in this picture]:


Cyndi was an amazing mother. She loved her children so much, and she sacrificed anything and everything for them - gladly and with good cheer.

Here is Cyndi with her 5th child [my God daughter]. Whenever I think of Cyndi, it is always in terms of her holding a child or helping a child:


Here is Cyndi on one of our many home school field trips. We went to a french bakery and got a tour [a very delicious tour]:


Here is Cyndi swimming with my Isabella [when she was a baby] and her Cynthia [also a baby!].
Here is Cyndi reading to some of her children and mine:

This is Cyndi helping me throw an awesome birthday party for my children:


Cyndi with Cynthia [my God daughter]:


Cyndi getting hugs from one of her sons:


Cyndi nursing one of her babies at the Renaissance Festival. She always gave her children the very best that she could give them:


Chilling at my house with her girls:

Cyndi with our kids at the Renaissance Festival [this was an annual tradition of ours, we went together every year]:


Cyndi laughing. One of the things I loved best about Cyndi was her sense of humor. She could always make people laugh and she never took life too seriously:


Cyndi and I being silly [that's powdered sugar from funnel cakes on our faces]:


Another thing I always loved about Cyndi was how amazingly talented and artistic she was. She often made cakes for people [along with sewing amazing things and doing many other creative things]. Below are two Star Wars cakes she made for a birthday party for my kids:


This one was amazingly detailed [It even had Darth Vader inside that Death Star]:


Cyndi with my daughter Samantha at a birthday party we had for Sam at Cyndi's house:

Cyndi was the Godmother of most of my children. She took her role very seriously and gave much thought and effort in to molding them into fine Catholic Children. She hand made Samantha's First Holy Communion Dress [it was beautiful]. She was amazing, and a Gift from God to my children and I.

Here is Cyndi with Angelica at Angelica's baptism:



Here are Cyndi and Bob with Samantha at Samantha's "re-baptism" [long story, but her first baptism as an infant wasn't valid because the Deacon did not touch her head with the water]:


Both of our families together with our Priest during happier days:


Cyndi praying for Gemma at Gemma's baptism:


Cyndi and Gemma at Gemma's Baptism:

Cyndi was always the one who was willing to go on the rides with the little kids when they were scared to go by themselves:


These two pictures are from Cyndi's pilgrimage to Lourdes [taken by my friend Vicki]:

God did not give Cyndi the Miracle healing that we all prayed for. I Trust His Wisdom, but I know that the whole world is diminished by the passing of this woman.

I will miss her more than I can express. She was always the one I called when I needed the "right" answer - she always answered with good Godly advice, even if that wasn't what I wanted to hear. She has been, in so many ways, my "Rock" through all of the hard [very hard!] times I have been through these last few years.

In 11 years of friendship, I never once heard Cyndi gossip about anyone. She was charitable and loving and without resentment or jealousy. She was extraordinary and she truly strove every day to live her faith in a heroic way. She was not perfect, but if ever a fault was sincerely pointed out to her, she earnestly sought to improve her character and overcome any weakness.

Cyndi was the kind of woman who would have taken you into her home when you were homeless, who would have split her last sandwich with you if you were hungry, who would have given you her own coat if you needed it.

Today the world is a sadder place. Today we have lost a woman who was Kind, Good, Creative, Loving, and Generous beyond measure. Someone who was full of Laughter and Love and Compassion. Someone who was genuinely devoted to God.

I cannot imagine the world without this woman.

I take great comfort in the knowledge that she is now in the Arms of Christ. I feel certain that He met her tonight with those amazing words "Well Done, Good And Faithful Servant".

That she was, indeed.