thoughts of hitting the showers

shared by Marlo R. Beall, her sister

One random memory I have of Cindy from when she was in high school was being puzzled by the fact that she had taken a shower before leaving to play in a basketball game for her school.  I have an image of her in her shiny purple, gold and white warm-ups, leaving our house to head to the gym.

I don't know how regularly she did this, but I do recall having a conversation with her about it, asking why would she shower before the game, when most people would just wait until afterwards.  I think her response was something along the lines of, "I like to be clean before I leave the house."

She also let me know that she would indeed be taking a shower after the game as well.

thoughts of a cynbow

shared by Arlene Rabuy, her sister

So I was contemplating whether or not to share this thought of Cyn a few months back when I was in Washington. I wasn't sure until a few weeks ago when I had the awesome opportunity to hang out with Mar, Li'l Cyn and Ava one afternoon.

Over the past 12 years I randomly look up into the sky while thinking of Cyn, always during the day when the sun is out with some clouds surrounding it. Nine times out of ten, I see a "rainbow" (although not a product of rain and the sun) kind of just hovering near the vicinity of the sun. It just lingers for a few minutes, then disappears.

I feel like it's Cyn communicating to me that she’s thinking of me too. I wasn't quite sure how to describe this rainbow because I wasn't sure if anyone else could see it. Well, that afternoon when Ava was riding with me back to her home she said, "Hey ER, do you see that rainbow in the sky?"

It was of course a sunny day, and so I looked off to the side of the sun. Sure enough, there was a "Cynbow". I was so happy that Ava could see it as well. She even pointed out that it's easier to see it with sunglasses on. I took it as a subtle hint from my sister to share this thought.

So if you are ever enjoying a nice sunny day with a few clouds in the sky, look off to the side of the sun. Sometimes you may experience a "Cynbow", a sign that Cyn is thinking of you too. If you have sunglasses, put them on to help you see it better.

thoughts of words of wisdom

shared by Marlo R. Beall, her sister

"It's amazing what you can accomplish when no one cares who gets the credit." -John Wooden

During his speech at the Golden State Warriors championship parade and rally, General Manager Bob Myers referred to the above quote as one that epitomized the team's success. It is also one of his favorite quotes by legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden.

Apparently, it was one of Cindy's favorite quotes too. I remember that it was this same quote (or a slight variation of it) that she listed in in her high school yearbook page that recognized the recipients of the "Titan Service Award". That award was given to 10 graduating seniors who made significant contributions to the school.

I didn't realize that Cindy was already familiar with John Wooden while she was in high school. Or maybe she wasn't, and she just believed in that same notion as he did about unselfishness and teamwork. Either way, it's just another example of Cindy's extraordinary character.

Bob Myers is from the Bay Area and was part of UCLA's 1995 NCAA Basketball Championship Team. Who knows, I may have even had a class with him! Learning more about him, he and Cindy seem a lot alike. And I could even picture Cindy being successful as a general manager of a professional sports team.

Being reminded of this quote gave me such a serendipitous reason to connect Cindy to the celebration of the Warriors' championship. I'm sure that she and Zoe, and so many other angelic fans (maybe even Coach Wooden) had their own Warriors victory party up in heaven.