Posted November 2, 2003
Index:
Introduction by Brian Oliva (Sally's Son-in-law): 
Sally Klangos, passed away in her sleep after a brief illness on September 23, 2003. Sally was a lot of things. She was my mother-in-law. She was my wife’s mother. She was my children’s grandmother. And she was our sister in Christ. She loved God, and was fixed on the cross of Christ more than anyone I have ever met.
Sally was baptized in 1983 at the age of 66 in Boston and was strong in her faith for over 20 years. She was an inspiration to everyone she met both in the Boston area, and later in Cincinnati where she moved in 1997. But even in her later years in Cincinnati, it is not as if she came here to retire and wait out her golden years. The testimony of those who knew her proves that she never slowed down in spirit. 
I first met Sally in 1974 when I started dating her daughter. I was a skinny 165 pound 19 year old back then. Those who know Sally know that she was a great and generous cook. When Janice took me home to meet her, I was met with a plate stacked high in pork chops. I ate as much as I could, which was about half of what was served. That was the first time I experienced the shaky-lipped whimper of “You didn’t like them?” I learned it was much easier to learn how to eat than say “no” to Sally, gaining 2½ pound a year annually for the past 29 years.
 There are a number of other oddities that followed over the years. Jan and I had our own “Big Fat Greek Wedding” in 1977. Just like in the movie, Janice is a full-blooded Greek, with a full-blooded Greek family. And I am not.
 If you examine our marriage certificate from the Greek Church, you will find that my “Best Man” was Sally Klangos. That’s because my real best man wasn’t Greek either, and it just wasn’t allowed. If you want to know more about our early life together, just go see the movie again. Sally would be Aunt Voula, and while there are minor differences, everything in the movie is true, and close enough to our reality to give you a good idea of how things started.
The two things I can say about Sally that describe her best is that she only operated with a one-speed transmission that was set to hyper-drive, and she has always been a servant. She was a waitress for most of her life and moved faster than any person I know. She worked as a waitress well into her 70’s. When Janice and I moved to Cincinnati in 1991, Sally (at the age of 74) took over Janice’s job taking care of an elderly woman, driving her around, running errands, and spending time with her.
A couple of years later, she went door to door fundraising for HOPE worldwide and collected more than anyone else in the 4000 member Boston church. Sadly, it was on one of those HOPE fundraising missions that she experienced one of her first falls. She was tripped by a blind man who whacked her with his cane while walking down the street, shattering her elbow. That’s when she moved to Cincinnati where she had elbow replacement surgery. Sally had osteoporosis, which means any fall would crack or break something. Over the years, especially over the past two years, she had several falls resulting in broken ribs, a broken hip, loosening of the elbow, compression fractures of the spine, and most recently broken bones in the pelvis. It is questionable after the last fall if she would ever be strong enough to be able to walk again, and she was in incredible pain. Each fall showed her down physically, but her desire to keep going was incredibly strong. It is likely that the endless flow of energy that could no longer be adequately released is what really killed her. But though all her troubles, her faith in God never faltered, and she would spend hours talking with anyone who would listen, giving advice, and sharing her faith. Those that didn’t know here might think that I am making this up, but I am not. A memorial service was held on September 26th at the Cincinnati Church of Christ that was designed to be a celebration of life rather than a traditional funeral. It included a lot of music and singing, and the sharing of several of her friends, the transcript of which follow below. Sally was laid to rest in Lynn, Massachusetts on September 30th beside her husband John but will remain an inspiration to everyone who knew her for as long as they live. Return to Top of Page Introduction and Sharing by Tom Caswell, Evangelist from the September 26th memorial service. 
Thank you all very much for your love and support. Tonight we’re here to celebrate life. Specifically to celebrate the life of Sally Klangos.
My gracious Father, we thank you so much for life; something we take for granted too often. We thank you so much for the life you have given us, and for the brothers and sisters in your kingdom that you allow us to have and bless us with. We thank you so much for this evening, and the chance to celebrate the life of our sister, Sally. Father, she was such a great example to all of us. Father, she surely was full of zeal; she was a pistol to the very end. Father we thank you so much for how she loved us and for how you used her to touch every one of us. Father, tonight we take this time to remember her life, and how you have used her. It is in your son’s name that we thank you so much, Amen. In 2 Timothy 4:7-8 Paul is speaking of his departure from this world, and he says: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing. (NIV) I chose to read this scripture this evening, because in my mind, it describes Sally. Sally was converted back in July of 1983. She was baptized at 66 years of age, which says something about her character and her desire to know God. She went through the trials and hardships that any disciple would go through. She fought the good fight for over twenty years as a Christian, and Sally finished the race a winner because kept the faith to the very end. She had such a strong faith, that though she couldn’t always make it to church, especially in these latter months, she always had a very strong and personal relationship with God. Her faith and hope was one that was unwavering, and you could tell that every time you had a chance to talk to her. And I think the reason why she was so unwavering for twenty years was her love for the cross of Christ. Again I quote Paul when is says: “For I have resolved to know nothing except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” and again to me, that describes Sally. She always talked about the cross. She was fixed on it. She loved it, especially when you go over to her house and have one of her great meals. And you would sit at that famous table, and she would tell you about all the disciples that would sit around that table for twenty years and eat.  And when you were at her home eating great food, sitting around this famous table, seeing the pictures and different reminders of the cross, two things would happen: she would tell you her life story, which was amazing… “You know, darling,” (she’d call you that all the time) and she always talked about her love for Jesus and the cross. And I believe that’s why she kept the faith for over twenty years. It was her love for Jesus and the cross, and as a result, Sally will receive the crown of righteousness, along with all of us in this room who follow in her footsteps.
You know, we don’t know when our departure will be, do we. We don’t know what hardships or trials we still must go through before our departure from this world will take place. We don’t know what it’s like where she is right now. When I found out the news that she had passed away on Tuesday night, lying in bed, between the tears, I was thinking, “I wonder what she’s seeing right now?” and “Who’s she seeing?” and “What’s she talking about?” and “Can she see us?” “Does she know what we’re doing right now?” And all these thoughts go through my mind, and we don’t know when our departure is, and we don’t know the trials we will have to go through between now and then, and we don’t know what it’s like where she is right now… except that it is called Paradise. But we do know this: If we, like Sally, fight the good fight for the remaining days of our life, and if we, like Sally finish the race and keep the faith, and if we, like Sally boast in nothing but our Lord Jesus Christ, then we will see her again, and even more importantly, together with Sally, we’ll be awarded the crown of righteousness. We love her. We spend this time remembering and thanking and celebrating how she has impacted each one of us, Amen. At this time, Adam Townes will come up and sing a song. "The Old Rugged Cross" sung by Adam Townes (4.2 Mb mp3) Return to Top of Page Sharing by Kris Meade I feel very privileged to share about Sally. I know a lot of you were very close to her. I was happy to see on the program that she was 86 years old. I never could get it out of her. I finally figured out, though, that she never got old. She was 86 but never old.  Sally was a very little tiny lady, as you can see, but with a very big heart. When I thought about her, she was such a character. She had so many good stories, from when she was a child, when she met her husband, who she entertained, what she fed them, and how she fixed it. About her nights when she was young “clubbing.” I can hear the sound of her little heels on the pavement as she snuck in from her descriptions; her meeting Rock Hudson. I can picture her tiny little waist; I looked at her wedding picture and I see that she had such a flair for the dramatic, and just embraced all these things about life, which I really appreciated about her .
She loved food and was a great cook. She loved the “Old Country Buffet.” We went out a couple times and one was closed. We had to find another one. We drove all around town until we found one. It was shocking how much she could eat, as small as she was. She would have a good three trips with round plates, and would eat it all. Unbelievable. Her manner was slow and steady. She was never slow, really, but steady; a steadying force in the church, and for her family. She never got away from you without talking about the cross. That was her focus, and she was very single minded about it. We all have many things going on in our lives; many changes, even in the church, and yet it seemed like it never mattered, because she was looking at the cross the whole time, and I appreciate that. I learned a lot from Sally. Return to Top of Page Sharing by Pete Hermosillo We moved here from Texas and moved to Milford. About six months ago, we finally met Sally when Janice asked us to take over some food and get to meet her and watch over her, and see how she was doing.  The first thing that happened is she showed us her husband’s picture. And then the story started. I wasn’t used to someone telling a story from beginning to end, and we had to leave before she was finished. The next time we got together, she remembered exactly where she left off and continued on from there. It was just amazing how she could remember where she left off.
But she always had her smile. She always had that gleam in her eye that she was so happy to see you, no matter what she was doing, or if she had a bad day… I don’t even think she ever had a bad day in the time that we knew her. During the times that we got to know her, there were two things she always believed in that were very strong: the cross and her faith. I remember one time she had us go downtown to find this place where they make statues and crosses and all kinds of stuff. We went there, and she started looking at some crosses (for the new church building,) and she was ready to buy one right then and there—to put a down payment. We were there for two hours choosing the cross. It was challenging having two kids there that can’t even wait 30 minutes, with so many statues so that you have to keep an eye on them because you’re afraid they’re going to knock something down or break something. So when she finally picked a cross, and was quoted the price, she immediately said “It looks like we’re going to have to get the church involved in this, because we definitely need the cross!” The last time we got together with her, we had invited her to go see the movie “Spy Kids in 3-D;” we took the whole family. Just seeing Sally in the 3-D glasses was hilarious. The movie started and she had the glasses on, and you could see her moving her hands to block the 3-D effects. She loved it! She really had a good time. And those times with her, when we took her in, and she was just like a mother to us. Sally really didn’t like answering machines. She would sometimes call over the course of an afternoon and leave 10 or 15 messages. “Hello, is there anybody there? I called you five times. Hello? Is there anybody there?” And later, if you didn’t return her call, if she sees you, she’ll get you! “Why didn’t you return my call?” But all those moments spending time with her really brought a joy to our hearts to be with her and see her grow. When she was there sharing her faith, it didn’t matter who it was, she would just share her faith. And nine times out of ten, she would get a phone number so she could follow up. Two things that she taught my wife, which then flowed down to the husband, were the cross and the faith. I want to share something on why I think she was persistent in pushing for the cross and her faith—I think that the cross for her revealed the wisdom and power of God.
One scripture that I think really fits in with what she said about faith is in Hebrews 12:1-3. Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (NIV) I believe that’s where Sally is right now, for believing in the cross and having faith. For me, I feel like having the faith has allowed me to believe and look for that which has been promised to me. Even when I don’t see it, I can find it in the word, and I can count on it. Return to Top of Page Sharing by Laura Kovacs And all this time I thought I was the only one to get phone messages… “I called you; I called you five minutes ago; I called you two minutes ago.” So, it’s good to hear. Thank you, Pete. Our darling Sally. First of all, I want to thank the Oliva’s for sharing Sally. When Janice told me she was moving here from the east coast, I said, “Well you know, friends share.” I lost my grandmother when I was young, and Janice gratefully offered to share Sally, and it changed our lives. She taught us a lot. I’m a person who has always said you should have a baby and a golden-ager in your life at all times. It helps you keep a perspective on things. Both of those beings teach you a lot. Sometimes they teach you the same things. Sally taught me humility. She taught me sacrifice. She taught me patience. And she taught me that Bingo is a lot better on the east coast then it is here. The stories of what she won, and how she won them, and how everyone applauded when she won them… they were good. And when she told the stories, I will never here a Boston accent again without thinking of her. “Dahling.” It was wonderful. My children loved her, and she was always very interested in what they would do; truly interested: “What is your Michael doing? How about Warren, what is Warren doing?” She wanted to know; she sincerely wanted to know. But what I like most about Sally with my children is how she changed them. They offered her hugs and kisses. They offered her cold drinks. These were not my children! She brought the best out of my children when she was with them. And in return she would offer them kisses, hugs, and sometimes little tokens for her darling Anna.  She came over-- gosh it wasn’t that long ago, about 2 months ago, right after Lilyfest, and she spent the day with my oldest son. She taught him how to make spinach and rice. It takes three hours to make spinach and rice. And he loved it. My son was so patient with her. When I e-mailed him the other day and let him know that Sally has passed on, he e-mailed me back and said “This makes me sad, but I know that she was confident in her final hour for she was very, very strong in her belief. I will make a pilaf in her honor.” That was my 17-year-old.
Well, Sally is now dancing with Johnny. We all know that, we’ve heard those stories. And she’s playing Bingo with everyone up there. I’m sure she would tell you that her favorite Bingo number is B-1, which we all should be; to be one. Sally, we will miss you, and we will love you. Bingo! Return to Top of Page Sharing by Arie Lea Throne Sally taught me so much in a short amount of time, and I have many great memories, but one that I pray will always stay with me until we meet again. Sally had a way of drawing people in through food, her gift of gab and laughter, but for me, it was her touch.  In a time that was a big transition to being away from my family, she drew me in as one of her own with her touch. I will always cherish how she would reach up and touch my face with those tiny soft hands; bright red fingernails polished so perfectly. Drawing me close to her—that’s how we had out conversations.
Sally, I miss you and it seems unreal to me because now I’m physically far away. I love you and look forward to being close in Heaven and feeling your hands on my cheeks again. P.S. Don’t wear out Jesus’ ear before I get there. I have a lot of questions! "Over the Rainbow" sung by Sue Gaukel (2.1 Mb mp3) Return to Top of Page Sharing by Pete McCreary In Isaiah 40, it says He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. [Isa 40:29-31 NIV] As I’ve been thinking a lot about Sally, over the last few days especially, this passage just reminds me of her. To have moved here at 79 years old, and to have the kind of impact on a church and on so many people that she has had—normally people at the twilight of there lives, their activity is getting less, and I look at the impact she has had, and I’m amazed. I was on the phone earlier with Jim Huntleman who is up in Seattle, telling him about this, and the first words out of his mouth were “Oh my gosh, I wish we could be there.” And Jim and Jill, many of you know them, are a young married couple; Sally Klangos had an impact on everybody! At 79 years old, before moving to Cincinnati, the church in Boston had a big HOPE fundraiser. She raised more money than any other person in the church. Four thousand members, and here’s 79 year old Sally Klangos going door to door asking these businesses for money. You can’t say “no” to Sally, number one, but she raised more money than any other person in this 4000 member church! I’m just blown away by that. She had a power to her that was intense. The comments that people would make—I was a little bit afraid of Sally at certain times. She’d be rolling along in her wheelchair, Brian would be pushing her, and she’s 85 years old, and I’m thinking “Did I ever call her back?” But I love Sally. She loved my children, and had such a tremendous impact on all of us. I’m really going to miss her, and I want to be like her when I’m 85 years old. I still want to have impact in my life when I’m her age. I want to live that way, and she’ll always be a hero in that way to me. Return to Top of Page Sharing by Vicki Craycraft Sally was my friend, and my sister, and my substitute grandmother, as someone else said earlier. My grandma lives in New Jersey and is 94 years old and is tiny and feisty like Sally, and that really endeared me to her. There are two things that I will remember about Sally. First of all, she was just a funny person. Not trying to be funny, not being a comedian, not telling jokes, but just a funny person. And I remember the first time she tried to tell me her life story, I interrupted her to ask a question, and she said “Don’t interrupt me! You’re not listening!” And she started over again. The second time, I let her tell the whole thing. The third time I told her parts of it, so she would know that I had heard it. But it was really a very cool story. You just had to stay silent for the whole thing. The other thing I will remember about Sally is just what everybody says, is her love for Jesus. And when she talked about Jesus, she would turn into a little girl—just becoming like a child. You cannot enter the kingdom of Heaven unless you become just like a little child, (Luke 18:17) and that’s just how she was, and that was very endearing. In my quiet time yesterday, I was looking through the Psalms, and I was led to this one, and I’ve read it before, but this time when I read it, it really hit home because it sounds like Sally to me. I love the LORD, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the LORD: "O LORD, save me!" The LORD is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. The LORD protects the simple-hearted; when I was in great need, he saved me. Be at rest once more, O my soul, for the LORD has been good to you.For you, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the LORD . . . How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. O LORD, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains. [Psalm 116:1-9, 12-16 NIV] When I first heard about Sally’s death, I just sobbed. But I sobbed for me, because I just wanted to see her again, just one more time. But after I calmed down and thought about it, I thought “She’s with the Lord.” That’s our goal, and she’s received her reward, and I can’t be sad about that. Return to Top of Page Sharing by Peter Kasprzycki If I were to pick stories about Sally as a writer, I would have to write a book; a huge volume, because her life was so full of interesting stories, and of wisdom. Sally took on an American name, but her real name in Greek means wisdom: Sofia. Edita and I have shared so many wonderful moments with Sally, most of them were Greek. 
I remember one time we took Sally to Indianapolis for a Greek Festival. It was a long trip for anyone, let alone someone of her age, but she enjoyed them, and endured it very well. As people were dancing, and you have to understand part of the Greek culture, when you are joyful, you dance. When you mourn, you dance. When you love someone, you dance. So to see her being there with hundreds of other people dancing together, it was difficult because you know that in that little lady sitting in her wheelchair she wanted to join in. And she did join in, in spirit, and it was a wonderful moment, and we pretty much stayed too long. By the time we left the festival, it was midnight. After some sightseeing in Indianapolis, by the time I got her home, it was four o’clock in the morning. Apart from me, the driver, she was the only person awake in the car.
We have shared so many wonderful stories. She told me so much about her life; about the things that are important. Not just the adventurous spirit which was so contagious, but also about faith, about forgiveness, and about love. One of the first things she taught me in Greek was “agape mou” which has to do with something that you love someone, you share it with them and say “agape mou.” So as we remember Sally today, when people walk in, and look at the pictures, and everyone is laughing, what I just remember always is “agape mou.” "Friends" sung by Adam Townes, accompaniment by Darlene Suggs (3.6 Mb mp3) "Golden Slumber" sung and played by Michael Oliva (Sally's Grandson) (2.9 Mb mp3) Return to Top of Page Sharing by Dave Evans My name is Dave Evans, and I’m from the Boston… I was from the Boston Church of Christ; now of the Cincinnati Church of Christ. I’m very, very excited about being here. It’s amazing to hear everyone talking about and sharing about Sally, because that’s the same Sally we knew in Boston; The phone calls, and the smile, and the word “dahling” – no “r.” And when she moved—people still talk about the impact that she had when she went out and raised that money for HOPE. There are people that don’t know Sally that still know and have heard the story of what Sally did. It’s like a folklore of when an elderly lady went out and did this. It’s still used as an example of what can be done, especially for something as important as HOPE. They still talk about it, and she’s been gone for years. Somebody else just shared about “I want to be that way when I’m 85 or 86,” and still have that kind of impact up until the last day. I’ve only been here a couple of weeks, and I saw her as soon as I got here. I got here on a Wednesday, and came to church on Sunday, and I looked for her and she was there, and that’s the last time I ever saw her. I thank God that he kept her here long enough for Cindy and me to see her again. When Janice left Boston, there was a person that Janice was caring for, and Sally took her place- it was in the same town we lived in. All of Sally’s friends were a few towns away and she didn’t have any way to get to church, and we were just down the street, so we would pick her up. My wife and daughters made sure she got there, and she was so grateful. Then we’d go to the Hometown Buffet. I heard someone sharing earlier—she found a buffet out here too? That’s just amazing. That’s steadiness. That’s just an example of being steady and firm. Somebody else just shared that she became a little girl when she talked about Christ. Her eyes would twinkle and she would have such an impact on everybody, especially if someone was weak in the faith around her. I baptized my mother a couple of years ago before she died, and Sally knew my mother. It’s just a great thing to see older people really make that kind of decision, regardless of background, regardless of how they were brought up, they took a stand on what they believed in, and Sally went for it. She never stopped. I’m so happy that I had a chance to be here, and live here and hope we spend the rest of our lives here, and that I did get a chance to see Sally before she passed away. Her impact here; it’s not like she came here just to settle down in her later years all the way out here in Cincinnati, I can see that she didn’t do that. It’s just an amazing example. I hope we can all carry the torch the way she did. Amen. Return to Top of Page Conclusion by Janice Oliva (Sally's Daughter) I know that I am the luckiest person in the world to have been raised by my mother and my father, who was really wonderful and died much too young. I want to thank everyone who came to her memorial service; for all the friends and people who loved her, who gave something to her, and who shared. It’s really a celebration today. If you listened to Dave’s stories from Boston, and everyone else’s stories from Cincinnati, they are all the same. Either they are all liars and carefully coordinated what they wanted to say, or that was exactly the way she lived. Everybody she knew meant something to her. Everyone who shared meant something to her. She talked about them constantly. The scripture I think about right now is: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even through he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” [John 11:25-26 NIV] We have heard the stories about my Mom, since you met her. I want to tell you something else about her. As you know, she was Greek and was not born “Sally.” She was born “Sofia Caterina Pappas,” and was born in Lynn, Massachusetts, the daughter of immigrant parents, who came over to Ellis Island and settled in the Boston area, where she lived her whole life except for the last six years. Most of you know her as “Grandma Sally,” or “Nani” but she was my mother, and I’d like to tell you a little bit about her that you may not know. Sally was the youngest of three siblings but was raised by another family in Providence, RI because her mother died during the great flu epidemic when she was only a year old in 1917. It was in Providence where she first learned about Jesus as she watched other children going to church. It was at that time that she first began to seek out and learn more about God; something that continued for her entire life. When she was 15, her sister returned to bring her back home to live with the rest of the family.  During World War II, she was a dancer with a USO troop in Boston. Immediately after the war, she married my father. She was widowed after 19 years when my Dad died suddenly of a heart attack. She never remarried. My mother survived many things in her life. In the late 1950’s she became the first person to survive experimental radioactive treatment for thyroid disease in the United States. At that time, she was critically ill, and given the “last rites” eight times!  When I was growing up, my house was a happy place full of friends and relatives, food, music, and dancing. Like in the Luther van Dross song “Dance with my Father,” I guess my mother was longing to dance with my father again.
In 1977, I married my husband Brian. In 1979, we gave her her first grandchild, Christine, and in 1985, her second grandchild Michael was born. She loved her two grandchildren beyond words, and the words “doting grandmother” don’t even begin to describe her. In 1983, my mother started to study the Bible, and took a giant leap, was baptized, and became a disciple. The things that consumed her after that were sharing her faith about Jesus, and practicing endless hospitality both in Boston and in Cincinnati. During the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, Sally lost many family members and friends. In 1991, we moved to Cincinnati, and in October of 1997, Sally followed. Sally was in reasonably good health until 2001 when she started experiencing problems with her balance. Her last year was the most difficult with a continuous series of falls which resulted in cyclical hospitalization, and rehabilitation. She was no longer able to live the way she did during her whole life. Most of the time she had to get around in a wheelchair, and it became harder and harder to stand alone unassisted, which made it very difficult for her to continue to cook and entertain; the very things that defined her life. My mother taught me many things. She taught me to love God, to love my family, and to love my friends. She taught me to be morally strong, to be happy and kind, to laugh, to be compassionate, to practice hospitality, to be punctual, and to be a perfectionist. She taught me to be a good wife, a good mother, and a good friend. She taught me to cook, and to cook, and to cook. Life really comes full circle. I started out as her daughter, and later became her mother. And then in the end, became her daughter again, because she no longer needs me. She now has God to take care of her. When I think of her life, she really did have “a wonderful life,” because in the end, she had an abundance of friends who really loved her. When my Dad passed away, it was very sudden. That evening, my mother and I were sitting in a dark, dark room, talking, sitting on the bed. I didn’t know how to help her; I didn’t know what to do. And before I knew it, these words came out of my mouth: “Mom, you don’t have to worry, ever. I’ll take care of you until the day you die.” And the night she passed on, my commitment was fulfilled. So if you have elderly parents, make sure you love them while they are alive and take care of them, and when they are gone, your commitment will be filled with a clear conscience and a guilt free heart. In conclusion, I’d like to say one last thing to my mother, in Greek.  Kali nikta, me-ter'-a mou. Sag-a-po' pa'-ra poli'. Agape mou. “Good night, my mother. I love you very much, my darling.” Rest in peace. Good night my dear mother. I love you very much. You're the love of my life. Return to Top of Page "Marching to Zion" sung by the Cincinnati Church Choir (2.5 Mb mp3) (Introduction by Adam Townes) Return to Top of Page |