Dear Readers......
It is with great love and sadness that we tell you that Cheryl passed away last Wednesday, April 22nd on a sunny evening with her beloved Robert at her side.
My name is Cathie A. and I am the sponsor of the blogger, Cheryl H. I am here in Cheryl's home with Robert and we both feel Cheryl's presence as we have hacked into her blog (she would love us being naughty).
As I'm sure readers of Cheryl's blog know...she was a wise and witty woman with 29+ years in the program of Al-Anon. She was also a very talented writer, gardener, painter, stained glass artist, seamstress (really...who sews their own jeans?), hysterically funny, dear friend, sister and much loved spouse. Her talents, her humility and her ability to laugh at herself were inspiring.
Robert was telling me this morning of the joy of them both falling into fits of laughter after noticing an oversized jar of Nutella while grocery shopping. One of my favourite personal memories was of visiting Cheryl in hospital with another Al-Anon friend after her last surgery ... the three of us exchanging stories of our own pre-recovery insanity and laughing so hard that Cheryl had to ask the nurse for pain relief after we left. Such is the stuff of a simple life well-lived.
Cheryl spoke often of the gifts that working the Al-Anon program had given her. Her ability to use her program in dealing with life's challenges (yes, even the REALLY big ones) was amazing and an inspiration to many (I put myself at the top of that list).
Thank you for allowing me to share my memories of my dear friend Cheryl. If you wish to share your thoughts and feelings here......please do.....Robert would love to hear from you.
Love in Al-Anon, Cathie A.
Thanks so much for updating, I was thinking about her yesterday. I'm just a random person who read her blog. I'm not in Al-Anon, although I have to say I relate a lot to the issues it seems to cover!! I liked this blog because Cheryl (whose name I did not know) was so easy to relate to...her honesty was so great, and then she had a bit of a tough side, too. Warmest sympathies.
ReplyDeleteThis blog was one I found just by going online, and it has meant a tremendous amount to me. It is so rich and deep, so honest and alive. I'm going to miss Cheryl's voice very much, but it is so inspiring that she used the program to continue to live well while she faced this illness. And I'm so very happy that she found Robert. May we all learn to live as well as she did.
ReplyDeleteRobert and Cathie,
ReplyDeleteI am sorry for your loss. I have been a reader of Cheryl's blog for many years. I always learned something from her...usually to take myself and life less seriously and to simply enjoy the blessings of everyday life.
I never "knew" Cheryl, but I felt as though I did. I will always be grateful for the wit and wisdom she brought to the blogosphere.
You will be in my thoughts and prayers as you move through this difficult time.
Peace,
Jen
Her writing inspired me when nothing else could. I wanted to love life as much as she did. I have recovered from my own loss and sadness and I wish for you the grace I felt when I felt I couldn't go on. Her love will stay with you. She will be missed here.
ReplyDeleteWhen I began my Al-anon journey this blog gave me great comfort and hope. I have prayed for Cheryl (even though I didn't know her name) as I have read her story and her experience, strength and hope. I am grateful ifound this wise woman's words. Thank you and God bless.
ReplyDeleteThis breaks my heart. I feel as if I have lost a best friend. Her writings have helped me so very much over the past few years. I grieve with you and take comfort in knowing that her words of al anon wisdom will continue to help me and others. She truly practiced these principals in all affairs and has helped me do the same. My deepest sympathy and love to you Robert, and Cathie A. and others who knew her in person. From Susie D. in South Carolina
ReplyDeletePlease compile her writings into an al-anon booklet. I know it would have to be approved by al anon to be called that but her thoughts and wisdom meed to live on.need
ReplyDeleteThis saddens me. I was so hoping that her absence here meant that she was off with Robert living and loving life. She helped me more than anybody could know. I will miss her wisdom and wit. She felt like a close friend albeit one that I had never met. God speed Cheryl. Thank you Cathie A and Robert for allowing me this bit of closure.
ReplyDeleteI don't no where to begin.......her words of wisdom has kept me from going over the edge many times.......so many times......the words she wrote, I felt she knew me and my own personal struggles........her LOVE for robert was so real.......her honesty was so raw, it humbled me......I have read....reread her blog like a bible......I pray she died peacefully. how I will miss her posts.....her words of wisdom......I hope her blog will remain open, so that if another broken soul (like me), finds it and reads it and SLOWLY has the courage to peel away the layers, they will find, through her blog....hope...courage.....acceptance...peace......laughter.....kindness....forgiveness in themselves........thank you robert for loving her as you did, through her writings her happiness with you oozed......cherish her memories ............... I am a better person(work in progress), because of her.........rip in cheryl aka through an al-anon filter
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting, Cathie and Robert. I will always carry Cheryl's courage in my heart. We all die and because I am 74, the thought of my death comes often. I don't believe death is an end but I see it as a transition. My heart goes out to Robert and her sister and brother as well as you and all who loved her. She fought a brave fight and now has a new life somewhere where we each will join her. I'm glad she was here and shared herself through her blog. My love and prayers to you. Kathy
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear about your loss. I recently discovered this blog and enjoyed it very much. God be with your family and friends during this difficult time.
ReplyDeleteRobert & Cathie, Cheryl will be greatly missed by me. I have read her blog for a long time, long enough to see her growth through working this wonderful program and in this she has encouraged me again and again to keep on and to have hope always no matter what is happening in the moment. may peace, love and joy be yours at this time. madeleine r
ReplyDeleteIt is really sad to hear the news of Cheryl's demise. I am a regular reader of her blogg and she has given me so much inspiration to practice this beautiful program thru her blog. I had never seen her but I have always felt her presence in my heart as an Al-Anon member. I pray may her soul rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteUsha
I am so sad to hear this. While I never met Cheryl I have followed her blog, been inspired by her words and her process of recovery as well as how she has handled her cancer with grace. I was concerned when there were no posts after February that things had been changing. Thank you for this post to let us know that she's gone home. In peace and with gratitude...
ReplyDeleteCheryl was indeed a great writer with a fantastic sense of humor. Her blog posts were a treasure and her loss will be felt not just by those who had the privilege of knowing her in person, but those of us "out here," reading along with her life and recovery adventures.
ReplyDeletePeace to you Robert at this time of loss.
And thanks, Cheryl (Dude!) for sharing yourself with us via this blog.
Thoughts and prayers.
Mr. SponsorPants
Oh my heart! I have been missing her posts and wondering how she was doing. Thank you SO much for giving us this update. I loved reading her blog and looked forward to every one. There is so much wisdom here that she has shared with all of us. I am sad that she is gone. Please accept my sincere condolences for the loss you are now suffering. She was greatly loved!
ReplyDeleteOh I am so sorry to read this. Thank you so much for updating all of us here. Cheryl will be greatly missed. <3
ReplyDeleteI am so sad to hear this. Chery's writing was such a help to me. She had such a gift for sharing her programme. Thank you for letting us know. She will be so missed. My thoughts and prayers are with Robert, her friends and family.
ReplyDeleteOh, no, I am so sorry to read this. I had a bad feeling when there were no updates, and I emailed her a week or so ago. Thanks for updating this. I am so glad she had such a strong program, Robert, and a loving sponsor. I will miss her writing so much--she helped me a lot. Much love and hugs to her loved ones...
ReplyDeleteRobert and Cathie, I have been reading Cheryl's blog since she started. I felt a close connection with her. I am so very sorry to hear of her death. She practiced a great program which I know helped her to live her life with courage and grace. I will miss her wisdom.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear about Cheryl. She was such an inspiration and generously shared her wisdom. She will be greatly missed by many. I am thankful her blog was here to help me through some difficult situations. Thoughts and prayers for her friends and family.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I've lost an old friend. So nice to know her name was Cheryl, and even though this news was tough to read, thank you, Robert and Cathie, for letting us know. Cheryl's writings have helped me so much on my journey just when I needed them, and I've spent a lot of time reading her many topics. I'm thankful she found true love with a wonderful man after so many hard years. I'm so glad she shared so honestly with those of us who experienced so much of the same things. I loved her writing style, wit, wisdom, and her application of the program. She will be missed and remembered by all of us. Thoughts and prayers are with you, Robert and Cathie.
ReplyDeleteSeveral months ago I was going through a particularly difficult time and found this blog. I "binge read" just about every post over a day or so. It was comforting. I'll miss her.
ReplyDeleteI am so so sorry to hear about Cheryl's passing. She was a wise, soulful, honest, and caring woman, and she worked a terrific Alanon program. Many times I turned to her writing(s) at a time when I needed hope and smart inspiration, and I was never disappointed. Her love for her soulmate Robert spoke eloquently to me. SO sad she is gone, and thank you Robert and Cathie for the closure your note made possible...
ReplyDeleteIt was so kind of you to let us know. The weight of the silence was hard to bear. I have sometimes thought how the anonymity of our program has its burdens, including that we may not ever know what happens to a beloved friend and member who is suddenly gone from our lives. I had reconciled myself that I had to let go ..... yet I am grateful for knowing about the passage of one who, although I never knew her, was very dear to me.
ReplyDeleteMy prayers go out to Robert, Cathie and the numerous friends of this wonderful lady. Her voice and wisdom will be so missed.
ReplyDeleteI traslated and shared some of her posts in Facebook. I didn't know her name so I credited them just as "taken from Through an Al-Anon Filter". So she also share her experience, strength and hope with many Spanish-spoken people. Many Al-Anon members were inspired for her courage and, and as Cathie wrote, her ability to use the program in dealing with life's challenges.
ReplyDeleteYesterday I read about her passing and today I wrote about it in Facebook and my blog:
http://anominatoespiritual.blogspot.com/2015/05/serenidad-para-aceptar-lo-que-no-puedo.html
Gracias....Cathie A.
DeleteThankyou for posting...was so sad to hear she passed away. Her blog is a treasure. Am grateful she shared her recovery..warm sympathies to you, Robert and her family.
ReplyDeleteDear Cathie and Robert
ReplyDeleteI was so sad to hear of Cheryl's passing. You must be missing her terribly. Thank you so much for taking the time in the midst of your grief to let us know she had gone.
I was very sad to hear the news and when I read your post I cried and felt a deep sense of loss. I guess I knew it must be bad as she hadn't posted recently but I kept hoping she would recover as she seemed to have such a strong life-force and it always felt with her that anything might be possible.
Although I didn't know Cheryl personally I feel I have come to know her through her blog posts. And that knowledge of her feels as though it has enlarged and emboldened me. I came to Al-anon a couple of years ago and to Cheryl's blog soon after. I feel I have learnt so much from her and she has given me hope. Her message always seems to be that where you start from doesn't need to determine where you end. And I feel where she ended was truly inspirational, both in the peace she found found for herself and the life she carved out. And I'm so glad she found love, even if it didn't get to last as long as everyone would fervently have hoped for her (and I hope you won't mind me saying, Thank you Robert for loving her so beautifully. I'm so glad you had the time together you did.)
I take a myriad of different lessons from her blog posts, and I know I will be referring to them again and again in the future when I hit difficult points in life but the biggest lesson I feel I learnt from her is the simplest one, Live bravely, live well. And I just hope I can live as bravely and as well as she did.
Thank you Cheryl. Deepest, heartfelt thanks to you, wherever your spirit is, for sharing so much of yourself and providing so many of us with inspiration and guidance over the years.
And Cathie and Robert, I'm sending you both warmest love at this difficult time. My heart and thanks are with you both.
L.
Cheryl was an inspiration for me her willingness to show up for her life in a deeper more radical way.
ReplyDeleteShe will be missed I read her blog for years!
I keep coming back here, boy do I miss her posts. My prayers for all who love her!
ReplyDeleteAndrea