Life

This afternoon Tom and I went to the memorial service of Cindy. She was the wife of Tom's old boss Trond-Henning when we worked at iSpheres back in the day. We had the good fortune of hanging out with Cindy a few times, which were always hilarious and filled with laughter. She was a woman who could light up a room and made everyone feel good about themselves.

Several years back she started suffering from what was thought to be some kind of allergic reaction. Her skin broke out in a terrible rash and everything seemed to cause her pain and misery (although she would rarely let on about her suffering). Doctors were baffled as to what was causing this skin disorder. She took steroids as part of her medication and it caused her body to swell up. In the end, it turned out to be a rare form of lymphoma and the rash itself was the cancer.

The memorial service was very beautiful and fitting to honor Cindy's life. In an outdoor setting on a beautiful, warm, sunny day (first day of spring), with music, laughter, and tears. So many people shared their stories about how Cindy touched their lives in one way or another. Trond shared a beautiful eulogy. It was difficult to watch such a usually happy man so sad over the loss of his wife. But I think the hardest and most moving moment was when Cindy's dad spoke.

I think the worst thing a parent can experience is the loss of a child, no matter what age. It just doesn't seem right for a child to die before the parent. It's not how it's supposed to be. And yet it happens. And hearing Cindy's father speak words about his daughter--a woman fully grown up--I couldn't help but imagine how I would feel if I were in this father's shoes. I could tell the bond that this father had with his daughter was so incredibly strong. And I don't think there was a dry tear in the house when he spoke of tales of Cindy as a little girl as well as the intimate conversation they shared towards the end of her life. His words broke my heart.

Cindy was a great lady and she will be missed by many.