The post I originally scheduled for today didn’t seem appropriate based on the last couple of days – so I have rescheduled it. It was supposed to be celebratory, a happy birthday to my best friend, my better half, my husband.
But today is a celebration of sorts – just not one we wanted. On Friday, my husband’s boss and dear friend passed away after lengthy illness. Today, they will celebrate the woman that Cindy was and the legacy she left.
I talked with a friend yesterday, who knew someone else who worked in Cindy’s nonprofit, who said, “We’ll never know how many thousands of lives she touched.” That is so true. Not only did she impact my family strongly, but she has served as a shining light for kids around our state and region who need a voice of advocacy.
She sought to encourage everyone. She was generous and patient. The Artist loved running in her office, because she knew Cindy always had some candy, and, more likely than not, a book, too. When I was wailing about having to potty train The Artist and how she just never seemed to get it, Cindy said, “I know lots of kids who can’t read when they’re 8, but I’ve never seen one who wasn’t potty trained.” #truth
Over the weekend, I’ve read so many touching tributes on Facebook to this wonderful woman. Someone said they always saw her smiling. Others talked about the jokes she made or her love for cooking. But in every mention I saw, it talked about her love for Jesus and how she lived her life in service for others.
This is the CEO of a large nonprofit company, and she was a servant to others. She loved Jesus, and she wanted others to see Him through her. And while this is our loss today, Cindy, as my husband oh-so-delicately put it, is letting Jesus know the correct way to smoke a pork butt. And we will feast in Heaven one day with her and all the others we have lost.
Cindy stood for hope in her life, and now her passing allows us to stand for hope for the future. Christ has conquered death and the grave. Our bodies on this earth are just shells holding an incomprehensible spirit that longs to be free and to worship Jesus.
I always think I sound silly when I say something like this – but I genuinely mean it. If you have questions about eternity or just want to talk to someone who has looked at hard questions herself and doesn’t shy away from those topics, please contact me. I want to tell you all Jesus has done for me, what I have seen and felt and personally experienced. I want to hear your story, too. All of our stories deserve to be heard, so we all can learn and grow. My heart mourns for the loss of Cindy, but I am so thankful she knew Christ.
“If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” – Romans 14:8
Judith P Roberts 