Cindy my Sister (by Bryan Alfonso)

Note: Cindy's brother, Bryan offered this eulogy/reflection about her at her funeral on April 12, 2019. Bryan is the youngest of the three Alfonso siblings.  Judy (Judith) is oldest and Cindy (Cynthia) is the middle child.

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In just a few minutes of speaking, I want to capture as much of the essence of Cindy as I can. Hopefully, some of the other speakers will capture important things I missed. But, I expect lots of overlap because, after all, we are talking about the same Cindy.

 I am going to speak about a typical encounter with Cindy by dividing it into three parts:

1.     The greeting
2.     Being together
3.     Afterwards

The Greeting:

(Luke 15:20) "While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with compassion. His father ran to him, hugged him, and kissed him."

The image of the father of the prodigal son came to my mind when I thought of how Cindy would often greet me. Her arms would open wide in a theatrical way - like a Broadway singer does when belting out the last note of a showy kind of song. 

“Hi Bry,” her voice would sing. And then, like the father in Jesus’ story, came the hug and the kiss. What didn’t come in a Cindy greeting, just like in Jesus’ story, was judgement or criticism, even if it was deserved. No – “Where have you been for so long?” or “You’re late” or “What do you mean you forgot to bring the salad?”   For that greeting moment, you were there and that’s all that mattered. She greeted you with her complete focus and was glad to see you.

This is how I have always felt when greeted by the Holy Spirit. I always expect judgement and a kick in the back end. But, that’s never what happens no matter how much I deserve it. Instead, I am embraced with joy and made to feel like I matter to Him. For my dog Theo, there is no bad time to say, “Let’s go for a walk.”  To him, a walk is always a good idea that is greeted with unbridled enthusiasm. For the Holy Spirit and Cindy, there is no bad time to say, “Hello, let’s spend some time together”.  You will be enthusiastically greeted with the same kind of joy Theo has when I am taking down his leash.

Being Together:

(John 10:10)   "I came that they might have life and have it more abundantly."

The word abundance means “more than enough”.  Life with Cindy means life in abundance:  lots more than just enough; never dull; bursting at the seams with energy; upbeat and positive; cheerful and fun; never routine or mundane; do it with style and attitude, whatever “it” is. In a word: Joy. Joy was a large part of her spirituality.

Sounds like someone who would be good at working with children, doesn’t it? Sounds like someone who doesn’t need a lot of money to have a rich life. That’s Cindy.

As I said, Joy was a large part of her spirituality. Love was the other part. She could focus on others and give love and affection generously. Her joy is contagious. Galatians chapter 5 lists love and joy first as fruits of the Holy Spirit. If you came in contact with Cindy, you came in contact with the Holy Spirit.

Afterwards

(Jeremiah 31:25) "I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint."

Spending time with Cindy resulted in being refreshed and renewed - just like as with spending time with the Holy Spirit.  That’s what love and joy do – they make all things new and fresh. 

The English Majors and Grammar Geeks among you may have noticed that the verbs I used in my sentences were present tense: Cindy is….not Cindy was.

 As Jesus reminds us in Mark chapter 12, our God is the God of the living, not the dead. I believe Cindy is still alive in Christ and because of Christ.  I believe I am still able to spend time with her when I turn to the Holy Spirit. I believe that whenever I choose to spend time with the Holy Spirit and Cindy, I will be refreshed and renewed.

(Conclusion)

Finally, because I sense that Cindy would want me to say this, let me make this point clear. Many of you here today found Cindy attractive because of here joyful, loving spirituality – her way of being. What you were really attracted to was the Holy Spirit as expressed through the unique person that was my sister, Cindy – like the master musician playing one of his favorite instruments that makes such a sweet, joyful sound. Those things you love about Cindy are the things you love about the Holy Spirit. So, I encourage you to draw close to the Holy Spirit and you will be able to experience the love and joy Cindy brought you once again.