Happy Birthday Cissey.
Cissy had such energy and vigor, the kind of woman who could strengthen you when you were low, and keep you up in the best times. I knew she had that special energy when I met her in college at GW and then again when we became sisters together in Chi Omega. How many years had passed between then and when we began to reconnect recently through her friendship with Julienne? And yet, it was as though no time had passed! It felt like I was welcomed back into her friendship without a moments hesitation. And her friendship was a fun, spicy, and warm place to be.
One thing that reading her obituary makes clear to me was how extraordinary she was. While I am impressed anew at all that she accomplished, I think the best and most extraordinary thing about her was that she was a healer, through and through. When we were out together she was always watching us, caring for us, making sure we ate right and drank the right things, and helping me when I confessed weird medical issues to her and getting me ostrich cream at Whole Foods on Friday night when we were all already drunk. Where she saw pain or suffering, she helped. That help, the world and the people she made better, will continue to last a long time. Little ripples of health and positivity. I can only hope that we were as good to her as she was to us. Thank you, Cissey. You're phenomenal.