Tusi Tribute

She was larger than life.

She was my Aunt Millie, but I called her Tusi, pronounced like Sushi. That is a Romanian word for “aunt.”

Larger than life…not because of her stature, but rather because of her style.

She loved clothes and being decked out for different occasions. She shopped like a rock star, being able to run store to store for hours finding the best stuff at the best prices. Back in the day she donned fashion hats and white gloves for special occasions. Her closet was a collection of “identity pieces, ” each one oozing her personality and adding to the total collection.

She loved to talk. She enjoyed the companionship of friends and family. Rarely was she short on opinions and she had a sly edgy delivery when something to her was important to say.

She decorated her home with flair. She loved color and brocade and lace and china, indicative of her era. She had furniture so carefully chosen that her living room looked the same for decades– decorated her way with good furnishings.

She cooked and baked with abandon, always believing that extra efforts in the kitchen were an expression of love. One of her recipes was a mocha torte that she warned me took 6-8 hours to make. I tried it once to honor her, secretly believing it would not take ME that long. I was wrong, Tusi was right!

Tusi’s faith was grand! It was one of the biggest things about her. She prayed, she went to church, she volunteered at the church, she helped at countless church dinners. She then prayed all over again.

Her birthday is coming. She passed in 2021. Her birthday was always a harbinger of spring. Sometimes I remembered her birthday and sometimes I forgot. She still loved me.

We did not talk on the phone very often and living two states away made visiting a challenge at times, but I always hoped my physical absence was not indicative of absence of thought. Not a chance!

I miss Tusi, but cherish the memories of growing up in the shadow of her big life, learning, listening and loving along the way.

I hope God gave you someone BIG in your life to remember today.