This is going to be about one of the remarkable people I've met via the internet. I've met a lot of good people that way, some I've even had the pleasure of meeting IRL, but this person, Cindy, was very special. Sadly, the world lost this wonderful soul on Sunday evening.
The lady's handle on the forum in question, really more of an online community for us regulars, was "onmicindy". She lived in the New Orleans area, had a husband, two mostly grown-up sons, and a couple of cats. She also had leukemia. Cindy was one of those rare individuals who always saw the glass as half full without being nauseatingly Pollyannaish about it, had a spicy quip in the face of adversity, looked for the silver lining in even the darkest of clouds, and harbored an amazing steadfast faith that sustained her. When Hurricane Katrina forced her and her sons to evacuate, leaving her husband working for the town they lived in and separating Cindy from her boys and her cats, she gave thanks that they were all alive and unhurt - even though their home was destroyed by the hurricane. She had to move in with a relative in a colder area of the U.S., and was most graciously grateful to all of those from the bulletin board who sent money, clothes, and so on to help her and her family out. Instead of playing the pity card, she rejoiced that her health care insurer covered her ongoing cancer treatments while she was living away from Louisiana. We all celebrated with her when her sons safely made it to join her, then later when we learned the family's two cats were alive and well at a shelter. After spending the winter in a Midwestern state, Cindy and her family were reunited in a FEMA trailer back in their home town.
Cindy was a strong yet gentle lady who served as a shining example of strength and persistence. When, on another Delphi forum she and I frequented, the hostess of the one where we 'met' was being disparaged, Cindy jumped right in and defended that hostess with perfectly polite dignity. She and her family weren't well-off, even before losing all they had to Katrina, but she did whatever she could to help those less fortunate than she. Even in death, she is helping others - Project Cindy, started by another regular on the forum, has a goal of collecting 400 warm scarves by September 1 to be donated to those in need. People all over the world are knitting or crocheting or sewing winter scarves for this cause. Those who don't have the skill to make them are pledging cash donations. Imagine, the power to inspire one human being has! By simply being the warm, wonderful, brave and nurturing lady she was, Cindy is continuing to do what she loved to do - give to others.
Since I learned of Cindy's passing, I have been making an effort to adopt some of her traits: to be more tolerant of the bad drivers around me and not curse them aloud, to present a more positive and cheerful face to my coworkers, and to try to think less of my wants and more of the needs of others. Her example is a shining one, and I only hope I can do her memory proud. Since I believe that death is not the final closing of the door, so to speak, I know that Cindy is watching over all of us and is, hopefully, smiling.
1 comment:
My dear, you already ARE so much like her. You spend most of your waking hours making people's lives better, and not just at work. You're among the most generous people I've ever met. I'm sorry about your friend's passing. It sounds like she made the kind of impact on people's lives most of us would like to before we go.
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