Our Eulogy

Today, we had final services for my now late Aunt, Celia C. Malmberg, age 97, and this was the eulogy I delivered, thanks to the richness of my childhood, my life, inhabited, surrounded, nurtured and loved, by my Aunt, and all her siblings.

The quiet demeanor Cele often posed almost, completely, shielded what an incredible, remarkable woman she was.

Iconoclastic would be, perhaps, a bit too loud, but she was, truly, an independent spirit, following her own path, throughout her life.

This perhaps surfaced, when, back in the day, when it was not encouraged, marrying the love-of-her-life, though he had been married before, and had children.

Cele took in and loved those children as her own, as she would, with each and every, niece, nephew, and grandchild that came along.

And she had a trick.

She made each and everyone one of us feel uniquely special, that she was "our Aunt", just ours, without ever letting all the others lose the same feeling.

She was a prolific knitter, sewer, baker (ahhh, who wouldn't go for a batch of her home-made devil dogs right now, or one of her pistachio cakes?), shopper, and, yes, iconoclast, adopting early, long before they became popular, mainstream topics, such as healthy eating, and vitamins.

And, most of all, she was an incredible "giver" ... She was always there, always ready to help, not looking for anything in return, again, for everyone, with the specialness, always making you feel uniquely special.

She is reunited now, with her siblings, those that left before her, The Mokaba's ...

The Seven Wonders of the World rock, again ...

(Photo by Adrienne Pilarski, my niece, taken in May, 2009, at the dedication ceremony of "Mokaba Square", named after my grandparents, Yusef and Jamille, and the entire family)


We would be remiss, if we didn't acknowledge the gigantically generous words my good friend Barry Crimmins posted today, a posting that brought me to my knees, in a flood of both, sorrowful and joyful, tears;

A Tribute Before a Eulogy

One unique, special person gone, but another, here, that I can still love.

Peace
JTD