may ALLAH grant him paradise,amin.

a good friend of ours-the community- passed wednesday. i'm sure most are hurt by this, as much as we are.

brother russle was known for his cheesecakes, pound cakes, and bean pies, but i will remember him for even more. he had my back many'o times: before i was driving if he saw me walking with my 2 oldest babies he would always give me a ride; 9 years ago as a newly wed, thinking i would either leave my or kill my husband, he would listen and offer advice, urging patience; when i wanted a way to make a few extra bucks he didn't hesitate in showing me how to make individual strawberry shortcakes, and where to get everything i needed (he even spotted me my first trays, etc. from his own inventory). while those are fond memories of brother russle, they are not memories specified only to me- he was good to many, many people. i do have one that is mine alone though.

when i went into labor with my first daughter [6 years ago] we no longer had a vehicle. so of course my husband called one of his decades-long best friends to drive us the mile to the hospital; that day i saw a whole other side to russle. he was scared to death! i couldn't believe mista play all the time, beatin' up all the lil' boys in the neighborhood, 50+ year old butt was afraid. he was zooming so fast down the freeway in his little 2-door nova type car [don't know my cars], barely breaking for stop signs that we had to ask him to take it down a bit. 'you ain't haven't a baby in my car!' he said. we died laughing, but he was serious.

anyway, he got us there safely, pulling right into the ambulance entrance. i was so grateful that before they pushed me off in the hospital wheelchair, i promised brother russle that if i had a girl, i would name her after him.

may his grave be as wide as all the collective smiles he put on our faces, and inches he put in our pants.
laa huwla walaa quwata illa billah
"there is no strength nor power except by ALLAH"
amin