Cindy's Missives 3

Just thought I'd share some of the wonderful messages I've received about Cindy's life and passing. These "missives" are just a few of the many, many I've received, read, re-read and keep near for my end-of-day moments when I just want to steep myself in her.

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Followers of Cindy’s Village and those who attended her funeral and heard the eulogies offered in honor of her are well-acquainted with her work at Hillside Elementary as a reading specialist. She loved, loved, loved her work with “her” first-graders she coached and their teachers.  

Did I write “loved” enough?

She was pretty darned good in her clerk work there as well and she often effused her fondness for her office colleagues. But I digress from her reading role and I must confess that her love of it is primarily due to VIP’s named Adam and Laura.

Posthumously, Cindy was honored with a Distinguished Service Award by the Hillside Elementary PTA.  One of the pictures above is me receiving this award from Hillside PTA President Kristen Aspinall at Cindy’s funeral visitation on May 11. The award is dated March 4 but the presentation to Cindy was delayed until she was feeling better.  

No one questions that delay because all indications were that she would survive this disease and resume her life.  She looked forward to returning to her work at Hillside next fall. But unbeknown to any of us, God had a different plan for her and He always has the last word when our plans differ from His.

Unrelated to this award (as far as I know) but very reflective of the spirit of it was the beautiful gift basket received at the funeral home from Hillside Elementary that featured a statue that I’m unofficially calling “The Reader” in honor of Cindy’s reading work.  In the picture I took of the statue is a smaller figurine I gave to Cindy in 1996 depicting a woman reading to two children sitting on her lap. Affixed to the underside of the base is a label:

Cindy and children” … A familiar and treasured scene in the Trevisan household during Adam and Laura’s childhood … to Cindy. Beloved mom, partner and friend…. Mother’s Day; May 12, 1996.

So you see, Adam and Laura are the muses for her love of children and reading. She enthusiastically poured herself into them and her intense love of and fondness for them is very apparent to anyone who knew her even casually.  For her reading work, you might say that they are the reason, or the inspiration, for this wonderful season in Cindy’s life.

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P.S. I know I have pictures of Cindy reading with Adam and Laura, similar to the little figurine, but darned if I can find even one in the three huge boxes of slightly organized photos in our basement.  Time to get serious about finally putting those in albums.  Yuck, but it needs to be done.