Goodbye to a Friend

Unconditional Love

I found out a few minutes ago that a close friend of mine and Heather's died last night. She had stage 4 metastasized cancer. She put up a valiant fight, but in the end, that fucking Satan's disease won out, this time. Susan was a kind and caring soul who, despite the odds stacked against her, faced each day with a smile and the determination to kick cancer's ass. Sadly, it was not to be. I'll remember her not only as a great neighbor and friend, but as someone who treated my little girls as if they were her Grand Babies - like the time she stopped at a garage sale and saw this toddler-sized lawn chair and brought it home so she and Bailey could sit out back and "girl talk", despite the fact that Bailey was only 2 years old. Susan used a cane to get around because of her illness, but it did not stop her from playing with my kids whenever she could. She once sat down on the sidewalk with Isabella when Issy was in Kindergarten and they wrote the alphabet on the sidewalk with Issy's sidewalk chalk. I don't know who had more fun, Susan or Isabella! I do know that the last time we saw Sue, she was sure to bring that up. She (Sue) knew that her time on this veil of tears called Earth was nearing an end when she reminded Issy of the sidewalk alphabet, but it was important enough to Susan to remember it at a time when she had so many other things to think about. That was just Susan - a kind, gentle soul who always had a minute (no matter how sick she was) for the kids. Thank you, Sue. It was our honor and privilege to have been your friend and neighbor. God rest you.

With deepest love,
Toby, Heather, Isabella and Bailey

P.S. Monkey is doing fine. He's fat as ever and still hangin' out with the skunks. Silly cat.