thoughts of PJs

shared by Marlo R. Beall, her sister

After Cyn passed away, we kept a lot of her belongings as cherished mementos. I came across one of those mementos the other day while I was searching for an outfit in our closet.

They were a set of Cyn's pajamas that we've kept on a hook in the closet. If I remember correctly, these pajamas had been hanging in her bathroom when we started putting away Cyn's things.

Since Andrew and I had the privilege of living with Cindy during her last years of college, her pajamas are a touching reminder of our times as roommates. They bring about memories when Cindy was most casual, most relaxed, and just happy to be home.

thoughts of sentimental times

shared by Marlo R. Beall, her sister

It's so touching to think that the end of 2013 and start of 2014 marks the beginning of the fifth year of our blog. Thank you to all of you who have shared your thoughts of Cyn with us, and who take the time to keep up with our blog entries.

There are countless, daily instances that bring about thoughts of Cyn for me. One of the more random times is whenever I use the microwave. I always set the cook time to a number that is somehow connected to Cyn... either 12 or 22 seconds, for her birthday, or 14 - her jersey number, or 42 - for her April 2nd Heaven Anniversary, to name a few.

I also think of Cyn whenever I notice that the clock says 11:52, am or pm. If I take a break from whatever I'm doing and it happens to be 11:52, I stop, take a few breaths, and say a little prayer. Our cell phone bill reflected that 11:52pm was the time of the last call on Cyn's cell phone.

In other ways, the time 11:52 makes me smile more than sigh... such as when the clock during a basketball game that I'm watching says 11:52 during a timeout or other stop in play. I always notice and smile when I receive a text, voicemail message, or email at 11:52. I consider it a little hello from above.

One other thing that I like about the number 52 is that you can make an argument that it kind of looks like a heart, specifically when you see it on an old school digital clock, or on a DVR, or an oven clock. So even though 11:52 stirs a little sadness, it also always makes me think of love.