“I thank my God every time I remember you.”~Philippians 1:3

Todays blog post is about a very special person that’s life was taken away too early. Stacie Cunningham passed away Nov. 27, 2000. I wanted to write about how special she was, so I asked some of her friends to give me some things that they remembered about her. She went to High School with my sister and me. She graduated in between us, but she was my sisters BEST friend! They played volleyball together in High School and then off to college (Cleveland State University) they went and played their together too.

I remember still today the phone call that I got from my sister since I was a nurse asking me about some symptoms that Stacie was having at the time. And being a young, new and naive nurse I said has she taken a pregnancy test? My sister’s response was YES and it isn’t that! Not long after that we found out that Stacie was diagnosed with Malignant Melanoma Cancer. They then gave her six months to live. How could this happen? How could this be? NOT our FRIEND! After Stacie graduated college, she went to live with her parents in Florida. She endured a lot in her last six months.

Photos taken from volleyball programs.

“No friendship can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever.” ~ Francois Mauriac

So here are some memories of Stacie that will never be forgotten!

1. She perfectly scrunched her socks for Volleyball games.

2. She moved her hair between her fingers across her forehead to keep it out of her face.

3. She had an awesome smile and big lips that she always fashionably applied lipstick to.

4. She shook her shoulders when she danced a certain way when she was wearing her dancing pants. She had all types of colors of those rump shakers.

5. She used to glare at people who chomped their food.

6. Her Mickey Mouse blanket. (My sister still has it)

7. Her dog Bailey! (My sister has him too still)

8. She used to get so excited to get her hair highlighted.

9. She used to chew everything so many times before swallowing.

10. She LOVED my mom’s Hollywood Chicken.

11. She used to get our candy bowl first thing when she came over to our home and then she would put a towel over it to make herself stop eating it all.

So this is the 10th Anniversary of Stacie’s death. How ironic it is…see Stacie got me an outfit at my baby shower. (I was due August 2000), but I didn’t know what I was having. She got me this Minnie Mouse outfit. Well, I then preceded to have 2 more boys and kept saying that I am saving this outfit until I have my girl or unless one of Stacie’s friends, my sister or Deirdre have a girl. Well guess what? I had a daughter in 2008. And the outfit finally fits her today! Below are some pics of my daughter wearing the outfit that Stacie bought me 10 years ago! It is like she planned it.

I want to pay tribute to Stacie. There is not a day or year that goes by that I do not think of her. Anyone who knew Stacie was very blessed to have known her. So may you live your life today as though it may be gone tomorrow! If you knew Stacie, please feel free to post a comment of something that you remember about her. Let’s make it a great tribute to a very great gal.

“Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives, is the perfect preparation, for the future that only He can see.” ~ Corrie Ten Bloon