A Tribute to Ellie

Aunt Ellie has always been special. When my mother, Rosemary, died
three years ago, we became even more close. Instead of calling my
mother, I would call Ellie each week. Ellie would talk to me as a
substitute for talking with my mom.

Both of us lived for awhile in the Oakland, California area. We shared
an interest in politics. Ellie and Donna and I even played Scrabble
together, online. When I moved her computer back to her condo,
yesterday, I noticed Ellie was well ahead in all of her Scrabble
games. Her final Scrabble turn made a week ago put her far ahead of
me. R-E-S-P-E-C-T, 7 letters, 69 points, the word "respect".

On the night of Ellie's death, I looked at her in profile, and instead
of seeing Ellie, I saw my mother. Though they look somewhat alike,
this surprised me. I have often thought of Ellie and my mother as
polar opposites. Were they more alike than I thought?

My mother kept her mental health history private. Few knew that she
ever suffered from mental illness. Ellie, on the other hand, was an
advocate for mental health issues-- led support groups, dealt with
politicians and volunteered most of her time to the cause. Were
Ellie and my mother expressing the same belief in different ways? Did
they believe they deserved "respect" regardless of their mental
health issues? Was Ellie expressing her strong belief that all people
deserve respect by being a vocal advocate, while my mother was
expressing this same belief by using and allowing a person's right to
privacy? Ellie and my mother were the same in their respect for
others. Ellie was more brave and expressive.

To conclude, in tribute, I will try to be brave, like Ellie, and read
a rhyming poem in the style of Ellie's Christmas letters:


Every year like clockwork
A rhyming letter would arrive
Now, Ellie's writing's over
To cover for this, I will strive

Candy, Precious, JoJo
She always wrote about her cats
and how she loved each one of them
They kept her mood from going flat

MADGRRLS, boards, DBSA
Organizations plenty
Contributions everywhere
Most meant much more than money

Ahead in all her Scrabble games
She played in her last week
"RESPECT" was her last bingo
She really did compete

We know she really loved us
and lived through so much strife
We gather friends and family
To celebrate her life.