Meet Cindy and her husband, Douglas

Meet Cindy and her husband, Douglas.

Traveling from western Massachusetts, a trip to Howe Caverns had always been on the bucket list for these two. Douglas, like many who have visited Howe Caverns, first came when he was young. He enjoyed it so much that years later, he decided to bring his wife, Cindy.

Cindy’s story starts in a place you might not expect: Antigua, in the Caribbean. Her life there was all she knew the sunsets, the sea, and the warm weather. As a young girl, she believed that her life was what the rest of the world experienced as well. It wasn’t until she began traveling that she realized she was only a small part of this great big world. Breaking out of her shell and moving to snowy New England was a definite culture shock. There, she attended UMass and continued her spiritual journey through the church. It was there that she met her husband, and the two have now been married for 30 years! Cindy is a woman of God. As she put it, “You can’t know me without knowing God too.”

Cindy has experienced many big changes throughout her life. She moved across countries, married someone from a completely different background, built a life far from home, became a nurse, and after all this time, she still misses home. Yet she doesn’t live with regret. Instead, she says, “I know I am exactly where I am supposed to be because God drew me down this path.” As she traveled more and more to places like Arizona and New England, Cindy began to realize just how small she is in such a big world. However, that realization didn’t change who she is. Instead, it strengthened her perspective. She says, “If God, in his wisdom, saw fit to make all of that beauty, but still make you too, and still think of you in his terms, then I know how precious we are to him.”

Even if you aren’t religious, Cindy can still be an inspiration. She wanted to leave people with this advice, “Wherever you’re planted, you should bloom in that space. You should want to make a difference not just for you, but for others too.” She went on to talk about how people often say the grass is always greener on the other side, but once you get there, you realize how brown it is. Sometimes, she said, we can’t go back because we’ve burned the bridge behind us. She wants everyone to let their light shine wherever they are. She isn’t saying you’re going to be planted in one spot for the rest of your life, but for this moment, you ought to bloom. “You ought to be something that’s beyond yourself.”

Thank you so much for visiting, Cindy and Douglas