Today is the anniversary of my dear sister Susan’s death. I feel like writing about how special she was:
1) Susan lived each day to the fullest. Sounds like a cliche but she actually indeed did live for the moment and for the fun of life. She went to Vegas as often as she could, she spoiled all the children in the family with gifts/time/attention, and she showed her love to family and friends as often as she could. She would give gifts for no reaon and take you out for cheesecake to celebrate YOU.
2) Susan made you feel so damn special. When you spent time with her, she made you feel like you were her soul sister, her best friend and the only person in the world. A day of fun with her would be the best day of your life and a typical day for her. Susan and I went to Knott’s Berry Farm on my 15th birthday and there wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for me. Whatever souvenir I wanted to buy, whatever ride I wanted to go on, whatever boy I wanted to follow, she acted like it was the best idea in the world.
3) Susan loved you, even if you pissed her off. She had nothing but love for even her enemies. My sister Jennifer said it best, "even when she’s mad at you, she sitll gives you a present. only this time, she would give you a smaller box of chocolates instead of a big huge box of chocolates and when she gave it to you, she would let you know that it would have been bigger but that she was mad at you"
4) Susan was full of energy and life. Her personality would come through the door first, then her big flaming red hair, then her brightly colored clothes… you could hear her coming from a mile away. Here was someone who walked into a room with laughter, screams, giggles, loud yelps and hugs for everyone.
5) Susan was a daredevil, a rebel and an independent thinker. She did what she thought was right and followed her heart. One could call her impulsive but I know that she was always following her instincts. I remember the day she pulled up to the family house in Cerritos, clad in leather pants, big hair, on a Harley Davidson, sitting behind an older, native american man with long hair in the front seat. She was so bad-ass. She taught me about dream catchers, wolves and native american spirituality!
6) Susan poured her heart and soul into her music and was extremely talented. Even though she sang country, I still enjoyed her music. She lived with abandon, crooned passionately, and danced to the beat of her own drummer (for reals)
7) Susan loved monkeys. It was the strangest thing. She loved loved LOVED monkeys. She had at least a hundred monkey stuffed animals. She had monkey watches, jewelry, pillows, slippers, even sound-activated electronic toy plush monkeys that jumped and hollered with noise.
Susan loved fantasy movies, especially The Labyrinth with David Bowie. She thought he was so hot. She loved the music, the puppets, the beauty in the scenery and the chase between the lead character and David Bowie’s Goblin King.
9) Susan did not live with inhibition. She came to my Junior High Lip Sync contest and screamed profusely while me, my friend Wendy and other friend Kavita danced and sang to Arcadia’s Election Day on stage. We were decked out in white faces, black wigs, black lipstick, trying our hardest to look like Siouxsee (and the Banshees.) Everyone was quiet in the Auditorium Hall from shock, but then came Susan, SCREAMING at the top of her lungs in support. People noticed her more than me and my friends on the stage. I think at one point, someone thought to call a medic.
10) Susan was HILARIOUS and fun. Susan would come over to the house and we would cry laughing about something stupid. Every picture I have with us together we had tears in our eyes from laughing so hard. My stomach would hurt so bad. We would tell hilariously dirty jokes, make fun of my sister Jennifer (then-at the time–a mortal enemy of mine) or imitate someone stupid. She had a way of delivering a joke that was leagues ahead of me. I might make people laugh, but it’s a rare person who can make me cry laughing and Susan did it EVERY TIME I saw her. We would quote the Labyrinth, make fun of someone, or just sit around and talk nonsense about ANYTHING.
I miss her SO much. She loved the movie Alladin, and I realize that she is TOTALLY THE GENIE… generous, living for others, high energy, full of love, full of compassion, hilarious, youthful, loyal, a party in a person! I wish things would have turned out differently for her.
"You ain’t never had a friend like me"
