AVE, ELEONORA

The funeral Mass was winding down, and the coffin was being pushed down the aisle for the last time, as everyone in the congregation stood up to watch. It would be the last time Eleonora, a woman of great faith would leave her beloved church and place of solace.

As I watched the procession, the doors to the church swung open, and daylight poured through, illuminating the building in fresh natural light, the sun shining, and the hope of life’s continuance promised. It was a grateful ending to a somber moment, a time of sadness and reflection.

I couldn’t wait to get outside again, to smell the freshness of a cold and crisp day, one that said; “Yes, you are alive.” When I finally stepped outside, the family and friends of the deceased were all out there, standing and talking, and saying “Hi!” for the first time in some cases, years.

Eleonora will lie to rest somewhere, but her memory won’t, and the people who said goodbye today will have a friend for life.

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East Rutherford, NJ (AP) -A seven-year old boy was at the center of an East Rutherford Courtroom drama today when he challenged a court ruling over who should have custody of him.

The boy has a history of being beaten by his parents and the judge initially awarded custody to his aunt, in keeping with child custody law and regulations requiring that family unity be maintained to the highest degree possible. The boy surprised the court
proclaiming, that his aunt beat him more than his parents and adamantly refused to live with her. When the judge then suggested that he live with his grandparents, the boy cried and said that they also beat him. After considering the remainder of the immediate family and learning that domestic violence was apparently a way of life among them, the judge took the unprecedented step of allowing the boy to propose who should have custody of him. After two recesses to check legal references and confer with the child welfare officials, the judge granted temporary custody to the New York Jets, whom the boy firmly believes are not capable of beating anyone.