A Fathers Lament

I wrote this when My sister Cindy Smith Died In 2010 for my father. He wanted to convey what he was feeling at the time.

A Father’s Lament

Daughters are not supposed to die before their Fathers. This has been especially hard for me because one year ago we buried Cindy’s Mother. I would like to give you some insights into Cindy’s childhood. She was the third of four children born to her mother Rosalee and I, she was our first daughter. Cindy was a precious gift from God, as are all children, not rambunctious like her two older brothers or younger sister.

Dan, our oldest was always getting in trouble for picking on Richard, our second boy. Dan had the size advantage but Richard had the cunning to survive. Julie was rambunctious and adventurous. We had to put a lid on her crib to keep her in it when she was an infant. Cindy though, was something special. Where we had to spank Dan to keep him from tormenting Richard and almost had to put Julie on a leash to keep her from getting away, all Cindy needed was stern words to keep her in line. She truly had a servant’s heart. When Dan was a teenager she would iron his shirts so he could go on a date. He paid her a little something but she would have done it for free. When the rest of the kids were complaining about chores and how unfair life is because they had more important things to do than what their parents told them to do, Cindy was there, her Mom‘s right hand. It always seemed like she did her share and then some.

In high school Cindy struggled with algebra. I think she came close to failing the first few tests but in typical Cindy style she knuckled down and studied hard and as always went above and beyond what was asked of her. Not only did her grades soar but she ended up the year tutoring other students! Cindy was a quiet person who some took for meek or timid but I know different. Her meekness was in reality, a strength born of a strong faith in God that she could do anything in Him. She did not have to shout it from the rooftops, she just knew and if you got to know her you knew too because she wore it every day of her life.

I don’t know why God chose to take her at such a young age. I would gladly have gone in her place. Maybe it is because she has done more in her short life to further the Kingdom of God than most people would do in two lifetimes. I will miss my Cindy. Say hi to Rosalee for me!

Love Dad,

In Memory of my daughter Cynthia Fulton Smith