Five months ago today, my beautiful friend, Sunny, lost her battle with breast cancer. I've never met a stronger woman. She endured round after round of chemotherapy ... radiation ... surgery ... all with the same same exuberant smile and infectious laugh.
She lost her long, gorgeous auburn hair to the treatments. When it grew back in, it was grey and thin ... but she didn't complain. Like my best friend, K, Sunny was someone I could count on to be brutally honest ... whether it hurt or not. If you asked her a question you didn't want the answer to ... she would smile a rather sad smile ... then tell it to you straight.
The last evening we spent alone was shortly before Christmas in 2012 ... it was the last time she was strong enough to go on a road trip. We spent the trip talking about fun things like which CD's she'd recently bought. We talked about sad things like her cancer. We talked about silly, stupid things like her favorite sub shop and which brand of lube she preferred.
I didn't see her very often. Sunny had dozens of friends ... maybe hundreds. But every so often, on a Sunday, she would call out of the blue and say, "Do you have plans? I wanna meet for lunch!" About once a month, I'd get an envelope addressed from her ... stuffed full of odd coupons and a note that said, "I'm thinking about you!" There's not a day that I don't open my mailbox still expecting to see one of those envelopes ...
Miss you, Sunny. Yes, I know ... I know. I promised. And if I know you? You're making the angels laugh right now ...
They're still on my mind
You had the smile
That could light up the world
Slaughter - Fly to the Angels
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