Aunt Tika, Queen of the Kitchen

There's an old joke about a guy who dies and visits his friend on Earth: "Hey, good news!" he says. "They have baseball in heaven! The bad news is you're pitching for our team tomorrow ."

Does anyone else think Aunt Tika is cooking for the angels right now?

My Aunt Tika passed on Monday morning, and before you feel sad for my family you have to realize that this is a wonderful occasion. A woman who has spent her entire life devoted to her church and her family has accomplished a goal of Christianity. She lived a life of preparation for her union with our Lord Jesus Christ, as well as her reunion with her husband, Maher, who passed on a few years ago.

I could spend time writing about Tunt Tika's devotion to the church. I could write about her service to her family, like when she would shuttle back and forth between Egypt and California to take care of both her husband and her children (and grandchildren). I could tell you about her love for the kitchen. Here's one story: over the last few years, in the middle of each week, she would make enough food for my dad to last through the weekend, and she did it because my dad loved the cuisine that he grew up on in Cairo. I would get home from work and our fridge would have party-size containers full of fried cauliflower, beef stew, peas, carrots, and my dad's favorite, liver. Understand that she also cooked for herself and three of her kids scattered throughout the Bay Area. She has always been like that. When we visited her in Egypt, she would spend all morning making FEASTS for us, and then start cooking again after lunch. Amazing food. No one topped her in terms of quality AND quantity.

But I'm not a writer so I made a video instead in her memory. I hope you enjoy it.



Pray for us, Tunt Tika!