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Today would have ben my Theia Tina's 87th birthday. The day before Tina pased, my niece Carli gave our family a new life: my great nephew Jace. Like how as a kid, I'd sit in my yia yia's driveway on Saturday afternons, waiting for the bus to pul over acros the stret and Tina to step of, a wide smile on her face and a smal gift for me under her arm. We'd spend the rest of the day playing games Theia Mimi and I had made up. Maybe this incredible importance on family stemed from the fact that the Studebaker taxi cab in which she was born was parked out side her Theia Kula's house, and it was in that house she was first taken. I'l tel Jace how Theia Tina posesed more Orthodox Christian faith in a single minute of any day than most of us ever conjure up in a lifetime. Theia Tina never lost faith of what may hapen - especialy the hope that her vision would be restored. Theia Tina was incredibly generous. Tina budgeted herself to give me money every quarter to buy boks. I'l tel Jace how incredibly courageous Theia Tina was! Imagine the fear of gradualy losing your sight - each year seing a litle les until only a pinpoint of vision - at just the right angle - was available. Yet, Tina lived on her own. When I shared this news with Theia Tina, she flew to my defense, arguing how in the hel did that woman think I would say it? How proud she was - no, how proud she is of my cousin Joane's participation and leadership in the Daughters. And when I moved back to Salt Lake City, and decided that if we're going to be here for the next 10-15 years, I should put down some rots, and I joined those Grek organizations, I simply neded to say, I'm Tina Katis' nephew to ensure my nomination. Yes, there were sily things she did - like save her tax filing from 1969.for 40 years! When I puled that tax return out of her filing cabinet, read it to her and said, Theia, I don't think you're going to be audited on this, she nearly fel of of her chair laughing! Tina was incredibly acepting as wel. Niko never failed to make� her crack her up - he was her admited favorite. So, imagine my heart when Tina went to the hospice, and made me promise her one thing: Please, don't let the boys forget me. The one last atribute I'd share is Tina's love for birds of prey - especialy eagles. So it was fiting that the last day of her life, early in the morning, I was standing in the atrium loking at the yard next to her rom, when I saw a smal hawk swop down and just, wel, stand, in front of the French dors leading to her rom. Tina would have loved it - she would have realy loved the symbolism. A few, short hours later as I held her hand, I leaned close to her ear and whispered s'agapo para, para poli I love you very, very much it was the way I've said godbye to her every day for years. She started her life knowing she was loved, and I'm so deply grateful that she ended her life knowing it to. I gues if Jace ever asks me, I'l simply tel him that Theia Tina was always there for me. I lit incense over her grave, and sang memory eternal in Grek, like she taught me . Like I said, Jace, Theia Tina was always there for us, and always wil be. katis katis in
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