EULOGY FOR MY "MUM"

[schlomo]

Every Sunday morning for the past few years, Celia and I spent quality time together. It was a ritual that we both cherished. After she had sipped her coffee (I think that it was Celia who coined the phrase Good ‘til the Last Drop), we devoted about an hour joyfully recalling highlights of our past. I regaled her with my uncensored youthful escapades or my controversial teaching career in the Bible Belt. Celia relished listening to the eventful sagas in my life, as I did hers. She would talk story about her sheltered upbringing in an orthodox Jewish family, or she would recollect on the claustrophobic hideaways in London that protected her from the Nazi Blitz.  But before beginning our tete a tetes, Celia always made sure to ask me if there was any news to report regarding the family dynamics involving my children and grandchildren, and I felt comfortable revealing and reflecting on whatever tidbits I could remember. She reciprocated with detailed vignettes about her loved ones. One more remembrance: Celia loved to hear birds twittering. And whenever she heard me melodiously whistle, she complimented me for reminding her of the alluring bird calls that gave her so much pleasure throughout her life.

I can give you 101 reasons why I honor Celia as a woman of valor, a woman for all seasons, a woman whom I have always respected and revered. Celia was a gift to so many people: all of us will miss her wit, wisdom, and compassion.