A letter from Cindy Easterday in South Africa
August 13, 2007
Let your gentleness to known to all. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:5-7
Dear Friends and loved Ones,
She was still a small child when her mother died following the birth of her youngest sister. Her father, who had come to this new country with his father to find work in the mines, seemed unable to cope without his wife. The newborn baby was taken in immediately by friends as their own, and the two older girls—though they were all close in years—were placed elsewhere.
A young child’s memories produce bits and pieces of events, happenings, people, places and feelings in response, but how does one know the sequences of one’s life except through stories and pictures told by those who were there? In her later years, she would seek her history—trying to gather the pieces of the collage of her early life to form a cohesive picture. Too young to remember her mother, she had acquired two photos that were kept with her hidden treasures—one of her mother holding her as a small girl, the other a more formal portrait kept in a seashell frame that, in later years, sat atop her desk.
As a young girl, she remembered times of hunger that would have her knocking on doors asking families if she and her sister could come and eat with them. “My father will pay you,” she firmly believed. She didn’t seem embarrassed by having to do this—as the elder sister she didn’t know what else to do.
She recalled the abusive woman they had boarded with while they were in school, a woman her father had known, though he refused to believe their stories. One day, to their surprise, a woman from Social Welfare came and collected them, the result of a neighbor reporting her concerns, and they were placed with family members in another town. From there, life took a new turn.
She spoke fondly of their times with “Uncle Fred,” a kind man who cared for them as his own even after the loss of his own wife. Her father seemed an elusive and carefree character who preferred hanging out with his mining buddies to caring for his daughters. She spoke of him rarely, and never with resentment. Later, as teenagers, they were taken in by an older, childless couple who saw them through high school and were responsible for seeing her graduate from university. She taught high school before her marriage and, in later years, kindergarten, then deaf children.
During her college years she met a young man who was so timid and shy he asked his best friend to introduce them. That failed, but he finally approached her and offered her a lift home. Much to her surprise—and against all the rules of the time—she said yes! And that was the beginning of a relationship that went on for over 70 years.
His brother recently recalled their first date: “Bill announced one day that he had asked this girl at school to go out with him. I remember teasing him because it was so unexpected; I don't remember him ever dating. He was very bashful, president of the Math Honor Society, and he had asked the prettiest girl at school to go out. She was everyone's best friend. They were in a way very much opposites. She brought him out of his shell, and he gave her total devotion and the stability she had never had in her earlier life. I could not imagine my dad without my mother and the same with Bill and Mary.”
Several years ago, I asked her what she would like people to remember about her. She surprised me when she said, “How God has been so good to me. He’s watched over me and taken care of me, even as a young child, bringing people into my life who have loved me and cared for me.” This reflects the person she was—ever seeing the good side of people and situations; ever grateful for all that God had provided in her life; ever the encourager; ever accepting of others; ever loving and affectionate, hospitable, gracious, forgiving; never drawing attention to herself but bringing joy, enthusiasm, and life into every situation and to everyone she met.
On June 15, on what would have been their 67th wedding anniversary, Mom’s remains were buried alongside Dad’s, under a large oak tree in a peaceful place near where we grew up. Marking the spot for future generations, her history and testament to life lives on.
As it should be, and I draw great comfort knowing that my parents have been reunited for eternity with their God in a place that is beyond our imagining. One thing Mom always dreamed of but could never physically do in her life was to dance. I believe her dream has come true as I imagine her now jumping, skipping, running, twirling, and spinning to her heart’s content!
Finally, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
Philippians 4: 8-9
Thanks, Mom!
With blessings and love,
Cindy
The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 330
