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Mu'Min M. Bey

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Mu'Min Bey mumin_bey

Epilogue and Thank You’s

Mon, 28 Oct 2002 09:35:20 -0800 (PST)

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Epilogue and Thank You’s

Sunday, October 27, 2002

 

All,

As of this writing, it has been a week since my Mother

has been interred. It still feels very strange her not

being around, physically at least, anymore. I imagine

it will take a long time before I ever get used to it.

 

 

With the exception of a few small financial loose

ends, everything has been taken care of, thanks to

some very special people, many of whom I wish to

acknowledge here. During the planning of my Mom’s

funeral, several things occurred to me, that I want to

share here.

 

First off, I had no idea that my Mom had NO insurance;

over the years, I have noticed this to be a very nasty

trend among African Americans in particular. I have

been to numerous funerals, where the families had to

go around, hat-in-hand, trying to raise the money to

have their departed loved one properly put away. Aside

from it being embarrassing to the family, it also

further burdens them by not only having to deal with

the loss, but also having to contend with the pressure

of putting the needed monies together. In my case, I

was fortunate in that I and my siblings knew a good

number of people who were most generous and helped us

out; but I also know that all families are not so

fortunate. I suppose the very first lesson I have

learned from all of this, is to please get insured, if

you haven’t already. Everyone in my family, my

remaining siblings and my Grandfather, are all

insured, except me – and I intend to do so next month.

Dealing with issues of death gives one a key insight

into one’s own mortality, and the last thing I want to

do, is to burden my siblings with once again having to

pass the hat around.

 

There was another thing during my Mom’s funeral

planning that really bothered me – my Mom had been a

member of a certain church whose name I won’t mention

– but because she hadn’t been in awhile, the heads of

the church would not officiate the funeral! There was

a whole lot of hemming and hawing, and finally one of

my cousins, who is a Reverend, officiated. Just the

whole idea of “members” when it comes to matters such

as these, are sickening to my stomach, and it goes a

long way towards one not wanting to join a church,

etc. AT ALL. It’s BS like that that turns people off

from Religion to begin with. It is an issue – one

amongst many - that needs to be addressed, forthwith.

 

I am so glad that so many people turned out; I have

had the chance to meet many of my sibling’s friends,

co-workers and the like, AND, I have met so many

relatives I never knew I had! In fact, one of my

colleagues down at Temple U., as it turns out, she is

a cousin of mine! So, there is some good that has come

out of this whole thing, one good thing among many. I

hear that the next Family Reunion is going to be next

year down in Washington, DC, The Chocolate City! How

fitting – and while I have never been to a FR before,

you can best believe I’ll make this one.

 

Over the course of the past 5 years, I have delivered

the eulogies of my Grandmother, ny Dad and my Mom; I

never thought in my wildest dreams that I would live

to see such times. In addition to all of this, over

the past few weeks, I have had to contend with the

passing of several other people that were close to me,

to varying degrees. In fact, just the other day,

Thursday, I had to attend the Memorial Service for a

colleague, Prof. John Burton. Needless to say, I am

thoroughly memorial, funeraled, and what-not out.

 

I come from a very old church family line – I have so

many uncles and the like that are Men of The Cloth, as

well as relations that are major role players in the

Church, Deacons and so forth. Many of them showed up

at my Mom’s funeral last week. The Robinsons and

Medleys are legion in number, mainly taking up a large

sector of West Philly, for those that know the

topography of Philly. In fact, there are over 400

Medleys alone in that area of the city, just to give

you an idea. I guess it’s kind of strange that I would

be seemingly the only one that would convert to Islam

and kind of “stray from the pack” as it were. How

ironic, huh?

 

I guess I will spend at least a good part of the

remaining year looking back on the times I had with my

Mom, but I will also spend a good bit of time looking

forward. Among the many things that I want to do, is I

want to keep my Mom’s spirit and mission alive by

doing something that she would take part in, if she

were still here; and, I want to create and maintain a

family record of sorts, including pictures,

interviews, you name it. And of course, there are

those time-honored family get-togethers that my Mom

loved so much. I guess, now with my Mom gone, I am

among the oldest living members of my family, and it

falls to me to keep the traditions alive; and so, I am

going to put in place at least one Family Sunday

Dinner a month, from here on out. My Mom loved such

events, and I am so thankful for the makers of that

movie, “Soul Food”. It reminded me so much of my own

Mama, and my own family.

 

I would like to take this time out to thank everyone I

could think of that in one way or another, assisted me

and/or my family in our time of need. If your name was

not mentioned, please attach it to my head, and not my

heart.

 

Thanks to: Leon Williams, Esq., Jerome Avery, Dr.

Lucille Ijoy, Wayne Moore, Mr. & Mrs. Richard and Judy

Whiten, the Rev. & Mrs. Joe Williams, WURD 900 AM and

its entire staff, Kenneth E. Vinson and the Vinson

Family, Bro. Rob Gray and The African American Freedom

and Reconstruction League, Bro. Fred, Bro Joe, Sis.

Tabiyah Ngozi-Bey, Mr. Jeff Hart, Dr. Yumy Odom and

the entire Temple U. PASCEP staff, Mrs. Muriel “Mama”

Feelings, Das Goravani, Ms. Jennifer Edmonds, Ms. Tia

Sykes, Ms. Shakeesha Anderson, Ms. Kelli Sparrow, Bro.

Hussein Bin Abdul-Alim, The Lindsey, Robinson, Burch,

Medley, Schuler & Richardson Families; Ms. Cheryl

Council and Ms. Hope Council, Abdullah Abu-Tarik, Ms.

Vikki Leach, Mr. Arnold Foster, Mr. & Mrs. Dennis and

May Witherspoon, Ms. Tamasha Roberts, Ms. Barbara

Daniels-Cox, the Baker Funeral Home and Ms. Angie and

Ms. Kim for hooking up some serious good eatin’ after

the funeral.

 

Special Thanks to: Zamani Feelings – you have been the

true meaning of a Friend. You have shared my ups and

downs and been there every step of the way. Where

would I be without you?

 

Mr. W. Cody Anderson, and his sons, Bill and Kyle

Anderson – for me, you have refined and redefined what

family means; it is not merely an issue of

flesh-and-blood, of DNA strands and family trees, but

rather, it is the recognition of familial minds,

hearts, and spirits, all going in the same direction.

You represent in a big way what my Mom was all about

in Life, and I love you all for it. Mr. Anderson, make

room for your 3rd “son”!

 

The Rev. Joe Williams – all Clerics should be like

you. You have assisted not only me, but many, many

countless others, no matter what time of day or night.

There has to be a special place in Heaven carved out

for you. Thank you so much for helping with the

Biblical research on my Mom’s Eulogy. May Allah be

Pleased with you.

 

The Owens Group – well friends, it seems that the

circle is now complete. I look forward towards

re-starting what has become a tradition. Let’s put our

heads, hearts, spirits and wallets together, and do

some good.

 

Elder Wayne Moore – you have been an inspiration for

me from Day One; your experience and scholarship are a

true sight to behold. You are one of the few people

for whom I have trouble putting into words how I feel.

Your spot in Paradise has to be right next to Rev. Joe

Williams!

 

Mr. Victor Baker and The Baker Funeral Home – I want

to thank you for doing such a fine job of giving my

Mother such a fine send-off. I highly respect your

mission, not only to provide good service, but to do

so with an eye towards assisting the African American

Community. In life, my Mother was always about

utilizing Black Business when she could find it; her

end should be no different. I think she have approved.

Thank You.

 

Mr. Richard Whiten – you are another one for whom

words alone cannot do justice for how I feel about

you. In many ways, you are the father that I never

had. You and Ms. Judy are a cut above the rest. Thank

You and I love you both.

 

To the many well-wishers who contacted either me or my

family via in-person visits to the family home,

phonecalls or the email, I thank you from the bottom

of my heart. You all have been the absolute bedrock of

assistance and stability for us all at this time.

 

Well, now I have to go and clear some more decks

before returning to life as usual again. But I just

wanted to express the above words, thoughts, thanks

and praise. Peace Be Unto Everyone.

 

“Through The Force, things you will see, other places

– the Future, the Past, Old Friends long gone”.

-Master Yoda

 

Salaam,

Mu’Min Mustafa Qadir Ali Bey

Philadelphia, PA

October, 2002

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

=====

Mu'Min M. Bey

Western and Vedic Astrologer

mumin_bey

AOL IM Screen Name: JediMu

2Way Pager: 1-877-345-6499/8773456499; Cell phone:

267-978-2812

Join the Pan Astrological Forum, Where Freedom in Astrological Thought Lives!

Just send a blank email to panastroforum-

 

 

 

Y! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your web site

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