Celedonia Julio, my Tita Chelet, passed away on January 2nd, 2024, after a difficult struggle with cancer. She lived on this earth for 67 years.
Her loss evokes a deep sense of sorrow and grief. Emotions that would have debilitated me in my younger years. Yet I feel compelled to reminisce and expand this moment to also contain love and gratitude.
Tita Chelet was a beautiful soul, bursting with kindness, cheer, humor, and a subtle yet powerful inner strength. My sincerest wish is for her to be remembered for the beautiful things she brought into the world.
Childhood, Love, and Loss
As a child, I would spend weeks in the summer with Tita Chelet. I stayed in my Tito Mandy and Tito Rory’s home, playing with my younger cousin, Armand. I treasure those times, as I was treated so tenderly.
Tita Chelet would cook the most delicious Filipino dishes, tend to the home, and watch us kids as we went on outdoor adventures and played games.
In that home, I experienced unconditional acceptance and the bliss of unrestricted play. I felt seen and valued, filling a void I was unaware of. I thank her for that.
I remember the profound love Tita Chelet had for Armand. She nurtured him since he was a baby, helping him grow into a compassionate, intelligent young man.
The energy she poured into him was a sight to behold. Seeing him mature must have brought her an immense amount of pride.
But our family experienced a devastating loss when Armand tragically passed away at a young age. The loss of a child is unimaginable. Feeling the love I have for my own children, it would rend my heart asunder.
Armand’s death left an indelible mark on her heart, a wound so deep that it seemed to pave the way for her own physical decline. This notion brings me to tears, as I fight the urge to demand of myself, “Could I have done more?”
But I can’t undo the past. Nor can I pass judgement on what was done. Instead, I envision Tita Chelet reunited with Armand. At peace and in a loving embrace that transcends time and space.
The Eternal Echoes of Laughter
Tita Chelet had one of the most authentic and infectious laughs I’ve ever encountered. She could brighten up an entire concert hall with her charm. When I sit and close my eyes, I can still hear her roaring chuckles and see her beaming smile. It fills my heart with warmth.
How beautiful it is to feel such sensations even when a person is no longer with you. That is the power of memories, and it speaks to the influence that people can imprint on our lives.
Tita Chelet lives on. In our hearts, our stories, our values. She instilled in us a joy that we pass onto our children, our families, our communities.
Coming Back Home to Heaven
Tita Chelet has reconnected to a higher plane of existence, where there is no fear, no isolation, no suffering. A place where there is only truth, love, and light. She is back in her true home, where all of her loved ones wait - connected, happy, and at peace.
I love you, Tita Chelet. Thank you for all that you gave to me. Your legacy of compassion, care, and joy will forever echo in our lives. Until we meet again, I hold you in my heart.
I welcome anyone touched by Tita Chelet’s life to share a memory, message, or song in the comments below. Let’s honor her with the love she so generously gave. Thank you.
You're right. Tita Chelet's laugh was one of the purest expressions of joy I've ever heard. I think that's because she didn't just laugh; she tossed her head back, slapped her hand on someone's shoulder, squinched her body as she recoiled after opening up to breathe. Tita Chelet welcomed positive energy from others, enabled joy to permeate her own body, and spewed it right back out so that it proliferated everyone around her. I think that experience is what it means to live and give life to others.
When you think of plot points, Tita Chelet could be seen as a supportive helper, an open listener a gracious giver. And those are all true roles. But when I think of what she embodied, I think of the way she took in the world. It was wholly and unfiltered. Just like how we all remember her laughing with her entire being. That's what I think represents the way she connected with all of us, the way she radiated love.
It reminds me of this quote: "I did not come to teach you. I came to love you. Love will teach you."
I think by modeling love in its purest form, we were gifted lessons from Tita Chelet.
what a beautiful post, thank you for sharing such a personal reflection. i wish i had the opportunity to meet tita chalet, but know that her legacy lives on in the people that she loves. offering a poem along with my condolences:
"The grief of time passing, of life moving on half-finished, of empty spaces that were once bursting with the laughter and energy of people we loved. As long as there is love there will be grief because grief is love's natural continuation. It shows up in the aisles of stores we once frequented, in the whiff of cologne we get two years after they've been gone. Grief is a giant neon sign, protruding through everything, pointing everywhere, broadcasting loudly, "LOVE WAS HERE". In the finer print, quietly, "LOVE STILL IS." - Heidi Priebe