“There are no wars being fought here”

An appreciation of Cynthia Cole

Cindy was a long time member of The Prosperos and wife of Don Smith, who many of you know. Have you ever seen a newborn animal investigating his world, moving from one exciting discovery to the next, suddenly leap into the air, his raw youthful energy welling up and overcoming him? I’ve watched Cindy at get-togethers, be overcome with such a high burst of love that she would grab the nearest person and hug them tight. She gave love and acceptance so freely. Growing up, I created a colder, more austere countenance and found the expression of love not to be easy at all. I admired her so much for that lack of fences between herself and others.

Her husband, Don Smith, has this to say, “Cindy was one of the gentlest souls I have ever met. She was the tenfold expression of, ‘I never met a man I didn’t like’ as coined by our native Oklahoman, Will Rogers. Even tenfold just begins to touch Cindy. I miss her more than I can say.”

As I read what he wrote, it seemed to me he was seeing the same things in her I was, just different words—that willingness to hold nothing back. She also had a simple, but keen sense of justice, that to her was axiomatic. Things like—if a child is involved in some kind of abuse situation, they are never, never responsible for the bad that happens to them. To her, consideration of children first was unquestionable. I know, first hand, she loved her husband as much if not more in the end as in the beginning. In fact, she sometimes made a nuisance of herself recounting all the things she loved him for. Before she passed, I picked her up once a week for a “girl’s day out”. I always felt an ease in her presence, a relaxation that comes from feeling, “there are no wars being fought here”. She passed from this world a happy person.