Show Up and Let Your Light Shine: A Tribute to Cherie Johnson

In this very special tribute episode, Heather honors the life and legacy of Cherie Johnson: devoted wife and mother, intentional friend, gifted host, lover of Scripture, radiant encourager, and bright light to all who knew her.

Released near the one-year anniversary of Cherie’s passing, this episode weaves together an interview Cherie gave during her cancer journey with reflections and stories from friends and family who loved her deeply. Together, these voices paint a picture of a woman who showed up with courage, loved with intention, welcomed people to the table, and pointed others toward Jesus with beauty, warmth, and joy.

Whether you knew Cherie personally or are meeting her through this episode, may her life encourage you to show up, love well, ask meaningful questions, receive community, and let your own light shine.

In this episode:

• Cherie reflects on encountering “the God who sees” in unwanted seasons
• The Scriptures that sustained her through postpartum anxiety, disappointment, transition, and cancer
• The courage and vulnerability required to receive love from community
• Friends and family remember Cherie’s hospitality, humor, deep care, faith, and radiant presence
• A borrowed “Thanks for Saying That” from Cherie’s previous Book Club episode
• A closing haiku written in Cherie’s honor by her friend Candace

Scriptures mentioned:

• Genesis 16
• Isaiah 42:3
• Isaiah 40:11
• Romans 8:35–39
• Matthew 11:28–30
• Exodus 14:14

Resources mentioned:

• Imagine Heaven by John Burke
• Resilience, Redemption, and Really Good Books: Winter 2025 Book Club Edition

Catch more of the story @thanks.for.doing.that.podcast! 

Transcript

[00:00:00] Hey there. You are listening to Thanks for Doing That, a podcast celebrating people and ideas that make this world a better place. I am Heather Winchell, your host and chief enthusiast, and I'm on a mission to bring you conversations that encourage, inspire, and delight. So stay tuned for another episode where we explore the things we do, the reasons we do them, and why it matters.

[00:00:45] Hey there and welcome back. Today it is my joy to honor and celebrate Cherie Johnson. Cherie was a devoted wife and mother, a fun and intentional friend, a whiz in the kitchen, a dreamer, a lover of music, and one of the most naturally beautiful women I have ever known I first met Cherie as a college student back in 2005.

[00:01:09] We wove in and out of each other's lives over the span of the past 20 years, and it was a unique and profound privilege to companion her even more closely over her last few years of life. In June 2024, she began a cancer journey, and on June 18th, 2025, that journey ended. This episode is being released in her memory at the one-year anniversary of her passing.

[00:01:34] So this episode is pretty different from any of the other episodes I've ever done. However, I am still able to offer you an interview that I had with her, as well as some memories, reflections, and stories from those that loved her. Last summer, I put out an invitation just telling people that if they wanted to send me a recording or a note, that I would really love to use that in an episode to honor Cherie.

[00:01:57] It took me a year, and I tell you what, this is probably the hardest episode I have ever worked on for obvious reasons. But I'm really pleased to be able to offer it to you today. If you did know Cherie, I hope that this is just such a wonderful reminder of the gift that she was to this world. And if you don't know Cherie and you didn't have the privilege of meeting her, I would just encourage you to still listen because she was a pretty incredible person.

[00:02:24] And the reason I do this podcast is to encourage, inspire, and delight. And I dare say that in listening to the person she was, the things she did, the reasons that she did them, I think you'll be encouraged, and I think you'll be inspired, and I think you will be delighted. So what you can expect in this episode, the first portion is going to be from a talk that I did at my church that actually had a panel discussion which Cherie joined.

[00:02:52] The talk itself was based on a story that comes from the Bible in Genesis chapter 16 about a woman named Hagar who met the God who sees in a moment of profound desperation and in a reality that she likely would not have chosen for herself. After exploring that story a bit, I invited three women to join me on stage, and Cherie was one of the women that said yes and answered a series of questions for me around her own experiences with the God who sees.

[00:03:23] For the purposes of this podcast episode, I have reduced the interaction to just my question and then Cherie's response. Something else I will note before I play that interview is that both that interview as well as some of the recordings that were sent to me from those that loved Cherie didn't have environments that were necessarily controlled for noise and things like that.

[00:03:52] So in this episode, you will probably experience a little bit of a difference in what it, the listening experience feels like. Um, sometimes you might need to turn it up, other times you might need to turn it down. I will admit that though I love podcasting, my strengths and skills lie more in the people part of it and not as much in the production part of it.

[00:04:14] So I have done the very best that I can, and I sure do hope you enjoy it. So here's the interview that I had with Cherie. So could you paint a brief picture of an unwanted season or reality and how you encountered it?

[00:04:38] Um, but I just wanna say that I've prayed for all of you, um, over the last days and just what might be brought to the surface in your own lives. And I just hope that something that is shared today from one of these four or the ladies at your table just serves as a real comfort and encouragement to you.

[00:04:54] The first time I think that I felt really seen and met by the Lord was after the birth of my second son. I grew up an only child and really wanted my kids to have siblings. That was something that I always longed for that I hoped would be a gift to them. And they were 20 months apart, and I was completely overwhelmed and so confused as to why getting the desire of my heart, like, resulted in struggle.

[00:05:18] And I felt like, "Am I doing something wrong?" Um, and I felt so seen and met by the Lord, um, in that he said, "No, you're not doing anything wrong. Struggle is a part of growth." Um, and, you know, he shared some verses, which I'll go into later, just spoke to my heart and gave me peace with, um, things not being perfectly how you expect and things being hard when you expect them to be like heaven and So that was like the first, you know, time that I felt like life didn't add up, and God saw me and met me.

[00:05:55] And then my husband and I went through a season of just a lot of change all at the same time. So I'm looking out at you, and some of you have been through the midlife transition, we'll call it. And we moved houses. My husband sold his dental practice and opened a new one two years later. So there was like a period of two years where he was home and kind of we called it sabbatical.

[00:06:17] And but I was head down in the game, raising four kids and managing a home. So that was unique. And I also was invited at a previous-- This was a different season at a previous church to interview for a ministry job. And I think I approached that experience during that season, like joining a family. Like, especially since that had been an invitation.

[00:06:39] And after a really long, probably six-week process of interview, there were three interviews, um, it ended in a dismissal over a simple email with not much explanation. And that really sent me reeling from a community who I thought I knew well, and I thought knew me, for it to kind of go down that way. And I remember in that season sitting in the bathtub.

[00:07:01] I don't know if you guys have profound moments with the Lord in the bathtub. Or the shower. Something about being naked before Him, I guess. Um, but I just, I just, I kind of just confessed to Him. I was like, "I feel like a saturated sponge. I can't absorb another thing." Like, there's so much transition going on in our life.

[00:07:22] This was so hurtful and unexpected. Like, what is going on? And I just felt like I had gotten to the end of myself, you know? And I just really sensed Him just holding my face in His hands and say, "I love you here." Like, "Sometimes you have to get to the end of yourself to really experience the depth of my love."

[00:07:43] You know? That it's not anything that you bring or that you do or... I don't know. It was just a really tender and sacred moment where I felt very seen And then my current season, I am navigating a really serious health diagnosis. God's taught me in this season just to-- He's asking me to show up. That's why I'm sitting here.

[00:08:05] Like, when Heather said she wanted me to join her on the panel, I feel like God's been really clear that He's like, "You have to live every day that you're here. Just live because that's why Jesus came, you know? And show up through all of it." And it's amazing how when we're faithful to do that, that He shows up, too.

[00:08:29] So... Mm-hmm. Okay, so my next question: Are there stories or passages in scripture that have personally brought you comfort or clarity around God's character and trustworthiness? So many. You guys, I love the Word of God. It is such a source of strength and comfort to me. It's been, like, just one of the greatest joys of my life to get to know Him through His Word.

[00:08:53] And so for each of those seasons, I can speak to and pull up and quote. Um, I was studying Isaiah with my sister-in-law when I was going through postpartum anxiety, and so there were two verses that really brought comfort to my heart. Isaiah forty-two:three says, "A bruised reed He will not break, and a faintly burning wick He will not quench.

[00:09:15] He will faithfully bring forth justice." And I think, like, just kind of reminds me of the mustard seed of faith and that faith is a gift and that it really-- He's not asking for much. I mean, a smoldering wick or a bruised reed is-- Like, if we bring that, that's sufficient, and He'll sustain it. And when He gave me that verse in that season of overwhelm, learning to be a mama and raise little babies, like, it has stayed with me through so many seasons.

[00:09:45] I mean, my oldest son is sixteen now, and, um, so many times in situations that's come to mind to bless me and to encourage me when it feels like my faith isn't enough or it's failing. You know, He's like, "No, it is. I'm not gonna snuff it out. I'm gonna make it enough." And the other was more like For this season, it's Isaiah forty:eleven.

[00:10:08] "He will tend his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his arms. He will carry them in his bosom and gently lead those that are with young." Just something that gave me a lot of peace and comfort. And then in that season of just change, so much change and some, you know, some hurt, he really impressed upon me Romans eight:thirty-five through thirty-nine.

[00:10:36] That became a real lifeline in my life. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake we are being killed all the day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

[00:10:58] For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Um, and then the other one from that season was actually a translation from The Message, um, and it's Matthew eleven:twenty-eight through thirty.

[00:11:23] "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

[00:11:47] And then in my current season, I can say he started sharing scriptures to encourage my heart to prepare before I even entered the diagnosis process. We were-- I participated with the VBS last summer, and we were teaching the kids about the Exodus and, um, that is when I was going through the diagnosis process.

[00:12:08] And, uh, and actually it was before that. It was when Sarah shared, and she referenced Exodus fourteen:fourteen that, um, I will fight for you and you just have to be still. And in that moment, I was like, what would that even look like? Like, why are you gonna fight for me? Like, why is that stuck in my heart?

[00:12:26] You know. And so, like, going into some unknowns, like, that was already rooted in my heart. And I would say that, like, I, I had a time of prayer in my daughter's bed where I just kind of confessed to the Lord. I was like, "You know, everything's not perfect." And I was like, "I wanna be here. I wanna be here for all of it, even if there's suffering, if there's hardship."

[00:12:51] I hadn't even mentioned, you know, the potential diagnosis before it was even on my radar, and I was like, "I'm willing to suffer. I just wanna be here." Mm. You know? I'm here for it. And I just-- I had a peace in my heart, you know. And so, like, I just appreciate Him seeing me and caring for me even before, you know, I entered into this season.

[00:13:13] And I think also there's just been an encouragement in Scripture to pray boldly, to believe for miracles. Like, I think about the story of King Hezekiah when he was confronted with a terminal situation, and he said he prayed to be able to live, and God answered yes, you know, and gave him fifteen more years.

[00:13:33] And I think of, like, all of the miracles that we see recorded in the Old Testament and in the New Testament when Jesus heals, and just praying boldly for that and entrusting the outcome to Him, you know, but also not, not praying because I'm afraid of how He'll answer. Mm. Do you know what I mean? Mm-hmm. So yeah.

[00:13:54] Those are some of the encouragements from Scripture. Thank you, Cherie. Mm-hmm. My heart is encouraged by that. So in His desperation, Jesus was met with an angel to strengthen Him, and I think God still uses the presence of others to strengthen us. What has it looked like for you to be strengthened in community?

[00:14:12] I guess I can go through the three little scenarios again. And I think, um, in that season of postpartum, I reached out to my pastor's wife and asked her if she knew anybody who had, like, had... Like, I wasn't sleeping. My second baby was colicky and was hard to get settled. And so I, like, my health started to deteriorate because I wasn't sleeping.

[00:14:39] Um, and I asked her, like, "What do I do? Do you know anybody who's been through this?" And she actually had a friend who had been through something very similar years ago and had since moved to California, but connected me with her. When I told her what was going on, she was like, "You need to go to the doctor."

[00:14:57] Um, and I think there was real freedom in that to just have permission from another godly woman who had been through something similar to say, "Hey, you need to go get better. You need to go figure out with your doctor what you need." You know, get back on the up and up so you can take care of your babies.

[00:15:14] So that's, that was one way that community, um, that God worked through community. And I think actually in that season of transition and change and what I experienced hurt through the church and that interview process, I think God really brought clarity about community and taught me about reciprocity. I dug in with him and I went to-- I actually saw a spiritual director and kind of did some soul searching about maybe some places where I had misplaced affections or maybe expectations that were inappropriate of community in the church.

[00:15:48] And I think in getting free from that, it set me up to have really sweet and beautiful connections. I can say in this season that's so unexpected, um, with a serious health diagnosis at this point in my life, um, that I am so supported in community. There has been flowers in my house for eight months that I did not put there , um, that just dear friends and family just keep bringing, you know.

[00:16:15] Um, I have a book club with three of my very best friends. I have a life group that changed their plans for multiplication, like to stay together to support my family and I as we kind of find the lay of the land. I go to women's Bible study, like, and I'm learning to show up, that there is a part of community that takes vulnerability and knowing your own self and showing up your own self to be able to receive that depth of friendship and fellowship that you desire.

[00:16:51] And it takes some courage.

[00:17:01] Cheri's the first person I met at Mountain Life Church. She greeted me with open arms and never let go. Um, what a treasure. And one of the most fun times we ever had with Jolly and Cheri was when we went to the Keys, and David Quave left his bag at the gate in Denver, and Cheri saved the day by shopping for clothes for David.

[00:17:30] Boy, she had him outfitted for the beach. We just treasure knowing her. I had the pleasure of knowing her for 22 years. I knew Cheri in college as an acquaintance at the University of Texas, where we both went to school. But I didn't really know Cheri until I started dating her best friend. In college, she had a reputation as someone that everyone loved, and I quickly found out why once I got to know her.

[00:17:58] She always greeted you with an infectious smile, saw life through an optimistic lens. No matter what was going on in her own life, she made sure that she knew what was going on in yours and would ask you difficult questions that most couldn't get away with, but it was all because she truly cared. She had a love for life that was radiant, and your day was just brighter having come within her orbit on any given day.

[00:18:22] You often hear of people that have contagious positive energy or a glowing aura about them. Well, that was Cheri. Every summer, we would see Cheri and family in Colorado or on their yearly trips through Texas. And every year, Cheri, sometimes traveling solo with all four kids, like a boss, a feat that most would never even fathom with four children, but somehow she managed to handle with grace, would come and bring something new with her.

[00:18:47] Sometimes it was a kid, sometimes it was a dog, but she always brought positive energy and an infectious smile. When I think back for specific memories, there are definitely ones that stand out, but I think what is the most telling is how consistent she was every time I saw her. Her smile, her laugh, her care for others, and her ability to cut through the noise and see situations with clarity, which always allowed her to have an optimistic view on any situation and oftentimes helped us reframe situations we were dealing with in our own lives, which was honestly a gift.

[00:19:19] We lost a dear friend, and the world lost a shining light. We love you, Cheri. Hi, my name is Maggie, and I met Cheri my freshman year of college, and we were best friends ever since. What I loved about Cheri the most was that she never took life too seriously. She always knew how to make you laugh, but she also always got to the core of what was really going on with you.

[00:19:43] She would come to my house every summer and say, "Maggie, what do you want for the next five years of your life?" And I was never really prepared for the answer, but I always appreciated the question, and she always had an answer back Sheree truly cared, she truly loved, and she truly wanted the best for everyone around her.

[00:20:05] I'm so happy to know that her beautiful light is gonna shine through her children. I see so much of her in each one of them. I truly can't imagine still today how we're all going to make it without her, but I know that her light shines sh- so bright around all of us, and she's looking down on us and hoping for each of us that we really embrace every day, focus on the positive, and give back to each other, and that's what I'm gonna do to honor Sheree Hi, my name is Corey, and I'm sending this from the Washington DC area.

[00:20:43] I don't remember the first time I met Cherie. I just remember always loving her. Um, I have really precious memories of Cherie braiding my girls' hair and playing Play-Doh with them. Uh, Cherie, as many have said, is just one of those people who is just so easy to be with and very genuine and deep. I always loved the deep conversations we would have about our relationship with Christ and what that means as mothers and wives and friends.

[00:21:18] She was just... she's just easy to be around, and I always enjoyed her. I also have a wonderful memory of her driving down from Fort Collins for my daughter's fifth birthday. Um, we had a, a cake decorating party, and she came, and she brought baby Samuel, and, um, she, she gave Jenna an apron. Um, and so I just...

[00:21:38] she just always seemed to have time for people, even if they were on the margins of her life, and I love, love, love that about her. One of my funniest memories of Cherie is she called me one day and said that she had read somewhere that Jesus has the same, um, Myers-Briggs personality as she and I do, and that's an INFJ.

[00:22:01] So we got a really great laugh out of the fact that, uh, we're the same as Jesus on the Myers-Briggs. There are so many stories I could share about Cherie, but I keep thinking of that quote that says, "You'll forget what people said to you, but you'll never forget how they made you feel." Cherie lived with a clear purpose to be intentional, making people feel loved, important, seen, and that they really mattered to her every single time she was with them.

[00:22:31] And the incredible part is that without preaching, she gently and tenderly guided and discipled others every day to be more like Jesus and love like Him. She, more than anyone else I know, knew the importance of intentionally making time for people. She invited me to sit at her table often, whipping up delicious food like it was second nature.

[00:22:54] But our tables weren't just at our houses. They were picnic tables, restaurants, tables at ski resorts, Bible studies, picnic blankets at parks and school field trips, tables at chemo sessions, family meals, birthday parties. And while there were a lot of times that it was just her and me, Cherie wasn't selfish or stingy.

[00:23:17] She consistently invited people to the table with us. She was a connector of people. No matter the table or how many sat at it, she was always the one to look at you, ask deep questions, and find ways to affirm or gently encourage, leading you to Jesus. She was the light in every room. I feel the deep void without her here, but I hope I can carry a piece of her light forward that she shared with me for years, following in her footsteps and in the footsteps of Jesus, who she loved so deeply and lived her life for every day.

[00:23:55] I will forever remember and be blessed by Cherie's big, beautiful smile that was always ready for anybody. I will miss seeing that. I will miss her. Sheree was a true beacon of light, and she felt like home, like the warmest hug on a really cold day, like a breath of fresh air, and an oasis in the desert, and so much more.

[00:24:39] One of my favorite memories of Sheree was when I was living with her and Jolly and the kids when I first moved to Colorado, and I was getting something out of the pantry, and I started noticing all of these little Post-it notes that Jolly had left for Sheree around the kitchen and places that he knew that she would find them throughout the day.

[00:25:05] And it was the sweetest thing I had seen, and I just knew in that moment that the love that her and Jolly had was such a treasure, and it was a gift to get a front seat viewing of their love and the way that they loved each other and their babies. And I'll never forget the gift of getting to see that firsthand.

[00:25:35] She was the best friend that anybody could ask for, and the way that she loved people was so beautifully tangible. She was there for every season of my life, including one of the hardest seasons that I had to walk through one night as I was entering into a separation and divorce that I never thought I'd have to navigate.

[00:26:02] I went over to her house, and she asked me, "Red or white?" And drew me a bath and lit a candle and put a jar of chocolate by the bathtub and said, "I love you, and I know that this really sucks, but it's gonna be okay." And that, in a nutshell, is who Sheree was as a friend and a beautiful person. I've known Cherie mostly in the context of life group, and one of the things that stood out to me about her was her genuineness.

[00:26:42] Genuineness for her family and friends, and her passion for scripture. I knew that if I asked for prayer from her, she would actually pray about it. She was sincere in her care for family and friends, and her desire to grow in her relationship with the Father. I will miss her smile. She had a passion for food that I didn't understand, and now I do.

[00:27:12] So every time I have good food, I will think of her This is Kat Penoyer. One of the things that I think of when I think of Cherie is how she made people feel in her home when she hosted them for meals. She always had this amazing warm environment and, uh, wonderful food. She was very present and intentional and loving, and there was just laughter and joy and deep conversation.

[00:27:43] But I was always taken back in my young 20s of just her table setting. She had place mats that were beautiful and napkins and napkin holders, and she just really put a lot of intentionality in the way that she set her table to invite people to it. I'm now in my 40s, so 20 years later, and I think of the quote from Oscar Wilde, uh, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, uh, that mediocrity can pay to greatness."

[00:28:17] And I look at my table often now when I set it to invite community in to join me for a meal, and I have the same place mats that Cherie has, and I have these beautiful printed napkins with, uh, with napkin holders. And I set a table in the same way that she did because I am hoping to create the same feeling and to share the same love with the people that I gather with because of the impact of how she made me feel when she gathered me into her home.

[00:28:53] Cherie had a personality that just absolutely drew everyone to her. She was just a light of sunshine and so positive and so friendly that it was hard to not want to be with her. So I joined the women's Bible study at Mountain View. I had just had my third kid. Um, I was feeling overwhelmed. Um, I always was wearing a little baby because he just was a stage five clinger.

[00:29:18] And I would come in, you know, with all three kids, again, feeling overwhelmed, and Cherie just had this smile and this presence that just made you feel like it was all okay. I never have understood how, as a mom of four, she always just seemed so under control and so positive and so, like, chill and go with the flow.

[00:29:40] Never stressed with, from what I saw, but just so positive and so optimistic and so caring and kind. Just literally, like, cared about you and your soul. And I was always so impressed because she would show up to Bible study with this haiku and had really spent time reflecting and spending time in God's word, just getting to know him.

[00:30:01] You could just tell that her relationship with the Lord was so intimate and so personal, and that was really encouraging to me. She had an amazing ability to see people and to know people, and then again, to really... She just, that intimacy with the Lord. Those are the things that I think of when I think of Sheree.

[00:30:23] I have had the privilege of enjoying a friendship with Sheree for nearly 20 years. Everyone who met Sheree has said what a bright light she was. She was radiant. I would echo each sentiment because it's truly the best way to describe her. Sheree deeply loved Jesus and wanted to make him known. She wanted every person she encountered to feel seen and loved.

[00:30:43] She had a way of putting people at ease and making them feel valued. Sheree embodied the love of God in every interaction, whether she'd known someone for 30 seconds or for 30 years. She was a true friend and a chosen sister Hey, it's Becky Hopkins. So I've known Cherie since I was 18 years old, so for about 16 years.

[00:31:05] She was an incredible woman, and I can think of dozens of ways she impacted my life and even more stories I could tell about her. What came to mind first was when Dave and I asked Cherie and Jolly to be the guardians of our children if anything were to happen to us. It meant the world to us that they said yes.

[00:31:22] But Cherie didn't just agree, she truly wanted to be a part of their lives. At the time, we were living in New York City, and she mailed us a favorite children's book. Along with it, she sent a video of herself reading the story so that our six-month-old son could begin to recognize her voice and face. It was a small gesture that meant so much.

[00:31:45] Over the years, she did similar things for each of our kids. Even while raising her own young children, she made time to love ours and to really get to know who they were. Cherie showed me what it looks like to love deeply and to show up for people in quiet, beautiful ways. She modeled her life after Jesus and was an amazing example of motherhood and friendship This is Margo Martin.

[00:32:11] When I was thinking about Cherie, I was just thinking about how I truly think that she was a champion of people and a champion for displaying the heart of Jesus to other people. And one of my favorite memories,

[00:32:25] um, that I was thinking about that perfectly describes her and who she was was our- my husband and I were getting ready

[00:32:41] to go on a anniversary trip, and I was pretty freshly postpartum and just not feeling great about my body and all those things, and I needed a swimsuit. And I was like, "I just don't think I'm gonna do it. I just don't feel like I have the energy to go and do that." And the next thing I know, Cherie showed up at my front door with five or six swimsuit options and said, "All right, let's try them on."

[00:32:47] And she stood there and she championed me, and she told me what I worth in Jesus and how loved I was and how beautiful I was and cheered me on and gifted me a couple of swimsuits to go have a great time, and I feel like that's just who she was. Um, she was truly a champion of people, and her smile lit up a room, and it lit up my heart.

[00:33:09] Cherie taught me so many things, not by telling me what to do or teaching me, but just showing me, modeling. One fond memory I have of her is just her willingness to be able to do whatever the need is that arises. My daughter wanted to do 4H and wanted to do cake decorating. We had never done anything like that before.

[00:33:33] So we had to make up these cakes for it, and, um, we tried to do one or two at home, and it was just a lot. Cherie mu- we must have talked about it at some point, and she said, "Oh, bring Sonia over, and we'll do a cake at, my house" 'cause she, um, used to decorate cakes a ton and is really good at it. So anyways, we brought the cakes over and, and as much supplies as we had, and Cherie got out all her supplies and spent a few hours with Sonia just showing her how to do the crumb layer and then decorate it and all of that.

[00:34:11] And I just was so blessed to have another woman who could show Sonia how to do something she was interested in that I couldn't do. Um, and Sonia and I will always remember that. My name is Angela Turney, and I was fortunate enough to be friends with Sheree since our oldest children were in kindergarten.

[00:34:29] She just had an incredible way of knowing what I needed and knowing how to say things that my heart needed to hear, and I think that's truly because she was a woman of the Word and because she was filled with God's Spirit. Um, she showed up on my doorstep one day to clean my house when my daughter had lice.

[00:34:51] She was just always quick to provide hope and perspective. As I have been mourning, um, the passing of her earthly life, I was just thinking like, "God, I'm gonna miss the care and tenderness that she provided in my life." And I really felt like God just said, "That was me, and my spirit is not going away." And I'm grateful that she allowed herself to be so full of the Holy Spirit and to just be God's hands and feet on this earth.

[00:35:28] This is Aunt Cindy from New York, and I am sitting in Galveston, Texas, where I last had my conversation with precious Sheree. Um, we gathered here for a family reunion, and she took me aside and wanted to know the details of my breast cancer and my mastectomy. In a Sheree fashion, she didn't really, um, wasn't concerned about the physical part as much as the emotional and spiritual and what God was doing in my life as a result of this, uh, difficult situation.

[00:36:04] Sheree was so intentional and so loving and so, um, encouraging to me in my walk with the Lord, and that's just in her fashion that she did, and I can't think of anybody else who really took the time to do that with me. She was Jesus to everyone that met her. Her smile, her joy, her laughter all gave us a piece of heaven that we will not forget Hi, this is Todd Johnson from Houston, otherwise known as Uncle Todd, a name that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

[00:36:40] I'm not exactly sure I remember when I first met Cheri, but every time we were together, there was that magical smile. It did not matter what was wrong or whose hair was on fire. She had a way to make it all good. The last time I saw her was in November of last year when she and Jolly came to visit my house in Galveston.

[00:36:58] Jolly and I had the opportunity to play golf, which we have enjoyed numerous times over the years. Cheri spent some quiet time on the beach. Later that night, she organized an incredible dinner, one that I will never forget. Salmon steaks on the grill and noodles made out of zucchini. I did not know zucchini could be noodles, but I do now, and I've tried to make them several times.

[00:37:20] Never as good as hers. After we finished the meal, she immediately got up, washed the dishes, cleaned up the kitchen. You would not have known anything was wrong, but that was Cheri. Nothing was ever wrong. To close, I wanted to share a poem. It's called Remember Me. Don't remember me with sadness. Don't remember me with tears.

[00:37:41] Remember all the laughter we've shared throughout the years. Now I am contented that my life, it was worthwhile. Knowing that I passed along the way and made somebody smile. When you're walking down the street and you've got me on your mind, I'm walking in your footsteps only a half a step behind. So please don't be unhappy just because I'm out of sight.

[00:38:02] Remember that I'm with you every morning, noon-

[00:38:20] I trust that these reflections and stories and sentiments give you a window into the beautiful woman that Cheri was. When I put out the call last year after we lost her that people could send me a recording and share the experiences that they had with Cheri, I was overwhelmed in the very best way. And though I've tried to use as many of those as I could and share them with you today, um, I wasn't able to use them all, but they all will be provided to the family for their own comfort and joy as they remember her.

[00:38:59] One way that I end all of my episodes is by giving my guest an opportunity to give their own shout-out. And since I don't have the opportunity to ask Cheri for that today, I'm actually going to borrow what she said in a prior episode. I had an episode with her in my book club and asked the question at the end of that episode, "If you could say, 'Thanks for saying that,' and why, who would you say it to?"

[00:39:25] And now I want to share her response All right. Well, to wrap us up, I think it would be kind of fun to give a shout-out like we do on the typical episode, though maybe a little bit different from the norm in this case. So thinking of the books that we've read, I'd really love to hear from each of you if you wanted to give, like, a thanks for saying that.

[00:39:48] You know, maybe share a memorable quote from one of the books or even our discussion around the books, and yeah, just a little shout-out So I searched and searched through Imagine Heaven to find this part because out of all the books last year, this is what has come back to me the most. I think it just spoke to my spirit.

[00:40:10] It was, like, personally formative, and it was one of the near-death experiences in Imagine Heaven. And it was a young father who nearly died in a car accident where his wife and child died, and one child survived along with him. And he had a second near-death experience, um, during his recovery from the accident where he saw his baby that had passed alive and well, and he had the opportunity to, like, release him, like, to offer him to God.

[00:40:46] And he said, "I held my baby son as God Himself held me. I experienced the oneness of all of it, the being behind me inviting me to let it all go and give Griffin, my son, to Him. In all that peace and knowledge, I hugged my little boy tightly one last time, kissed him on the cheek, and gently laid him back down in the crib.

[00:41:06] I willingly gave him up. No one would ever take him away from me again. He was mine. We were one, and I was one with God. Griffin was alive in a place more real than anything here." I think that just changed my perspective on sacrifice. Mm. Like, that when God, like, takes-- it seems, takes something away, that actually it's an opportunity for me to give it.

[00:41:36] And, like, if we have the perspective of giving it because Jesus gave all for us, then it's not taken away. We lay it down, just like He laid His life down for us, and I think that was just deeply moving to me. Just changed the way I see. So-- And it's-- I've thought of it just time and time again. So I was glad you asked that question because I was grateful that that story was included.

[00:41:59] If you would like to hear more of Cheree's thoughts about that book and then the other books that we discussed, I will link that episode in the show notes below. But I just-- Man, I wonder if you, like me, just find yourself so sobered and encouraged and in awe, honestly, of the things that she said and how applicable and kind and helpful they are to our hearts in this present reality.

[00:42:26] So it's such a joy and gift to share the beauty of who Cheree was with you today. And I do end all of my episodes with a haiku that I have written for my guest, and I'm actually going to break form today because I would actually like to share a haiku that was written by one of our friends. Her name is Candace, and this is what she wrote: "Exquisite Cheree, you are a bright shining star pointing the way home."

[00:42:56] I wholeheartedly agree and thank you for listening

[00:43:12] Thanks for Doing That is presented to you by The Aviary, a place for beholding and becoming. And thank you for joining us for today's episode. Before you go, I have a couple of invitations. If you found it meaningful, could I invite you to take two minutes to rate and review the show? I also invite you to help me create an upcoming episode of Thanks for Doing That by nominating someone or suggesting a topic.

[00:43:37] Let's link arms to call out the good and the beautiful that we see around us, because I really believe that finding delight in our divided and difficult world could make all the difference.