Malik Family:
Lately I have thought a lot about death. As the most recent friend of mine to die, my experiences with Tombol come to mind immediately. At first glance, it seems that Tombol was here and now he is not here. His body is no longer here with me or you, but instead buried in a cemetary. But when I remember Tombol, I don't remember a body. Being in His presence, his limbs and hair were of no concern. I remember a personality, a fiery compassion, a friend. I did not know Tombol as a mask of skin or a set of organs. Tombol was not just some meaty lump of flesh. Wondering what is in His coffin, I find that it is only a set of tissue. With this half-empty coffin, now I can only wonder where Tombol really is.
How can we say that Tombol is dead? I visit this compilation of memories and see that Tombol has never left me. If Tombol had somehow left us, I would not be writing this and you would not be reading this. If Tombol was gone, how could we speak of Him? The human body was only one form of His being. Now he is rooted more firmly in our thoughts. His body may not be seen or heard, but neither is the body of undeniable love. No longer known as a body, Tombol is now free to live forever. Each memory of Tombol is Tombol. He is here with us right now, as our own minds.
With the utmost respect in this time of sorrow, I cannot miss Tombol. I cannot miss Tombol because he is right here, in this very moment. I can only miss His body that was moved towards the Earth on which my body lives. Burning a sheet of paper, I am left with ashes. Tombol too has changed his appearance, but like a sheet of paper can never be destroyed. This is not wishful thinking; I see Tombol in front of me right now. Rejoicing in His physical life, Tombol is more alive than ever. To say that Tombol has ceased may be a misunderstanding. To say that Tombol is gone may perhaps mean that we did not see who Tombol really was; perhaps we called him a body. His family and friends know Tombol intimately; this is self-validating proof of his presence. Again, I share unequivocable respect and support for other friends and relatives of Tombol Malik, and mean no dishonor to his physical legacy. But I do offer the experience of Tombol's immortality; he will forever be my companion.
Depending on perspective, this may be a time of sorrow or of celebration, of cessation or of freedom. We are capable of missing Tombol and smiling with him at the same time. He would want us all to miss him with a smile.
Respectfully,
-BR
P.S. Enjoy the computer games. ;-)
Friday, April 07, 2006
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Unsettling...
First and foremost happy birthday to Tombol.
Dear Malik family,
Throughout this past year i have checked in periodically on your website to see the status of the court hearings. This last time i was happy to hear that muaz haffar was found, but as i read further, i could not believe my eyes. I went to the website and saw this monster dancing, enjoying life while thousands of miles away another life was taken because of his actions. I was delighted that he was found but sickened that he is enjoying himself dancing with an unsuspecting girl who doesn't realize that she's dancing with a murderer! I don't know by what miracle you all found that website and his location, but i will say that GOD does act in mysterious ways! I also wanted to say that it is beyond my understanding of how his family could live without a conscience for the past year knowing that they helped him to get away with murder and that someone's child, brother, loved one is gone because of the actions of their son. GOD has a plan for muaz haffar and in time His plan will surface. God bless your family and you all are in my prayers.
Sincerely,
Rhonda Wormack-Khan
"My children teach me everything i need to know about life, and they have made me a better person"
-rhonda RN, BSN
Dear Malik family,
Throughout this past year i have checked in periodically on your website to see the status of the court hearings. This last time i was happy to hear that muaz haffar was found, but as i read further, i could not believe my eyes. I went to the website and saw this monster dancing, enjoying life while thousands of miles away another life was taken because of his actions. I was delighted that he was found but sickened that he is enjoying himself dancing with an unsuspecting girl who doesn't realize that she's dancing with a murderer! I don't know by what miracle you all found that website and his location, but i will say that GOD does act in mysterious ways! I also wanted to say that it is beyond my understanding of how his family could live without a conscience for the past year knowing that they helped him to get away with murder and that someone's child, brother, loved one is gone because of the actions of their son. GOD has a plan for muaz haffar and in time His plan will surface. God bless your family and you all are in my prayers.
Sincerely,
Rhonda Wormack-Khan
"My children teach me everything i need to know about life, and they have made me a better person"
-rhonda RN, BSN
My Friend
Happy belated Birthday Babe! I think about you everyday...every single day. It's so funny how time flies, Tombol. It's been almost a year since you died and every memory of you is so fresh on my mind. Sometimes, I wish it was a terrible joke or dream and that you would still be here. However, I have to face everyday that you are no longer here...my best friend that I spent countless hrs with on the phone, cracking corny jokes(so corny), and secretly having a crush on you:)(who didn't?) I have cried and laughed so much thinking about the stuff we used to do. I've been talking to God a lot about you. And God told me to praise Him for allowing me to have you in my life for the eight years that I did. And that's exactly what I did. I thanked him for the lives you touched while being alive and through your death. I
think about your family and I pray for them. I wanted to write something to you yesterday, but it was too painful. I know it hasn't been easy for the people that love you, babe. It's been really hard for me. I really just... needed you to know how much you meant to me and how deeply I love you. But im sure you've always known.
KIARA
think about your family and I pray for them. I wanted to write something to you yesterday, but it was too painful. I know it hasn't been easy for the people that love you, babe. It's been really hard for me. I really just... needed you to know how much you meant to me and how deeply I love you. But im sure you've always known.
KIARA
Remembering Tombol
Dear Malik Family,
My heart has just found the strength to express my deep sadness and pain over the tragic and untimely loss of one of the most charismatic, beautiful, endearing and respectful young men I have ever met. I had the honor of meeting Tombol through my daughter, Stephanie Jackson, who shared a deep, mutual profound love with Tombol, beginning in a piano class at Kenwood Academy. When Stephanie came home "bubbling over" about a special young man she had met, and begging me to meet him, I could hardly wait to see who had caught her attention. What a joy when he was introduced to me at a Kenwood piano recital (where he was an usher). My first thought was how stunningly handsome and at ease he was. From then on, I occasionally drove him and Stephanie on errands or to meet for dates, shared several family dinners with him at Florian, tried to rent a car for them on their prom night (lost my drivers license that day and couldn't rent the car!), and enjoyed his presence at my home when he came to visit Stephanie. The respect he showed us as her parents was remarkable and unique for one his age. I did not realize how deeply they cared for each other until I read a poem and a letter written by Tombol to Stephanie expressing her special place in his heart and hoping that their future together would one day be their present (written when they were still dating). Upon reading this, I have wept over what might have been, but was so cruelly and brutally taken by one of Satan's own and his accomplice. Stephanie spoke with him by phone to plan a weekend lunch together two days before his life was taken. Stephanie felt his spirit depart this world that fateful morning. She tenderly protects her many momentoes of their relationship together and is putting together a memory book, which includes the tragic news articles and updates as they are reported. Perhaps, my tears and contemplation of the tragedy led to a dream I had about Tombol a couple of weeks ago that I would like to share with you, his beloved family. In my dream, I was walking in a crowd on my way to a restaurant. As I was walking, I saw a young man walking toward me, shimmering from head to toe, bathed in a golden light. It was Tombol. When I saw him, I started weeping. He took my hand and asked me why I was weeping. I told him I was weeping because he was so beautiful and I wished he could stay. He asked how my family was and that he would see me later at the restaurant. Overjoyed to see him, I was eating my meal when he passed by the window and waved at me. I waved back and then awoke from this dream with a smile. All I could think of was that HE IS FINE AND WANTS US ALL TO KNOW THIS. So, my dearest Malik family, our eternal thanks to you for blessing our lives with such a remarkable young man as our Tombol. His glorious spirit will forever shine within us until we meet again.
Happy Birthday, Tombol!
God Keep You in His Sustaining Grace and Mercy,
Sherry Jackson and Family
My heart has just found the strength to express my deep sadness and pain over the tragic and untimely loss of one of the most charismatic, beautiful, endearing and respectful young men I have ever met. I had the honor of meeting Tombol through my daughter, Stephanie Jackson, who shared a deep, mutual profound love with Tombol, beginning in a piano class at Kenwood Academy. When Stephanie came home "bubbling over" about a special young man she had met, and begging me to meet him, I could hardly wait to see who had caught her attention. What a joy when he was introduced to me at a Kenwood piano recital (where he was an usher). My first thought was how stunningly handsome and at ease he was. From then on, I occasionally drove him and Stephanie on errands or to meet for dates, shared several family dinners with him at Florian, tried to rent a car for them on their prom night (lost my drivers license that day and couldn't rent the car!), and enjoyed his presence at my home when he came to visit Stephanie. The respect he showed us as her parents was remarkable and unique for one his age. I did not realize how deeply they cared for each other until I read a poem and a letter written by Tombol to Stephanie expressing her special place in his heart and hoping that their future together would one day be their present (written when they were still dating). Upon reading this, I have wept over what might have been, but was so cruelly and brutally taken by one of Satan's own and his accomplice. Stephanie spoke with him by phone to plan a weekend lunch together two days before his life was taken. Stephanie felt his spirit depart this world that fateful morning. She tenderly protects her many momentoes of their relationship together and is putting together a memory book, which includes the tragic news articles and updates as they are reported. Perhaps, my tears and contemplation of the tragedy led to a dream I had about Tombol a couple of weeks ago that I would like to share with you, his beloved family. In my dream, I was walking in a crowd on my way to a restaurant. As I was walking, I saw a young man walking toward me, shimmering from head to toe, bathed in a golden light. It was Tombol. When I saw him, I started weeping. He took my hand and asked me why I was weeping. I told him I was weeping because he was so beautiful and I wished he could stay. He asked how my family was and that he would see me later at the restaurant. Overjoyed to see him, I was eating my meal when he passed by the window and waved at me. I waved back and then awoke from this dream with a smile. All I could think of was that HE IS FINE AND WANTS US ALL TO KNOW THIS. So, my dearest Malik family, our eternal thanks to you for blessing our lives with such a remarkable young man as our Tombol. His glorious spirit will forever shine within us until we meet again.
Happy Birthday, Tombol!
God Keep You in His Sustaining Grace and Mercy,
Sherry Jackson and Family
Happy B-Day
Yo, Happy B-Day kid. I wish we could have chilled or talked about how wack hip hop is right now or how the Sox will do this year( their pitching is still top notch, plus we got Jim Thome now). Anyway, much love to Sati, Samil, Shiera, Ms. Malik...be strong. We miss you man.
One Love,
Anthony Roberts
One Love,
Anthony Roberts
Today
Dear Shiera, Sati, Samil, Karen and Sharafuddin,
This is just a note to say that you and Tombol are in my thoughts so much. I will never, ever forget Tombol--his bright eyed curiosity and floppy good nature as a child, his pointy elbows holding up a bat, his diligent message taking whenever his sister's friends would call . . and fast forward to last April, when he took us all out dancing. . . when he was showing off (in his non-showoffy kind of way) what an interesting, intelligent, thoughtful adult he had snuck into being. Shiera, Sati, Samil--I try to keep that night seared in my mind. I was euphoric coming home, feeling so lucky to have you all as part of my past. It never crossed my mind that I would never see you all together again, that the future would be so different, that I would never again experience the joy of hearing Tombol talk about his new plans and interests, that he would never again be able to make me feel like a big sister. I grieve for the loss of future memories. I will never, ever forget Tombol.
Love,
Gin
This is just a note to say that you and Tombol are in my thoughts so much. I will never, ever forget Tombol--his bright eyed curiosity and floppy good nature as a child, his pointy elbows holding up a bat, his diligent message taking whenever his sister's friends would call . . and fast forward to last April, when he took us all out dancing. . . when he was showing off (in his non-showoffy kind of way) what an interesting, intelligent, thoughtful adult he had snuck into being. Shiera, Sati, Samil--I try to keep that night seared in my mind. I was euphoric coming home, feeling so lucky to have you all as part of my past. It never crossed my mind that I would never see you all together again, that the future would be so different, that I would never again experience the joy of hearing Tombol talk about his new plans and interests, that he would never again be able to make me feel like a big sister. I grieve for the loss of future memories. I will never, ever forget Tombol.
Love,
Gin
Happy Birthday Tombol
Tombol-
I met you on your 23rd birthday. I remember what you were wearing (khaki shirt, tie, infamous military cap :) This weekend we celebrated your life. Samil and I talked about one of the last times we were out with you and we smiled and laughed ... we were able to remember you the way you would want us to on your birthday ... with huge smiles on our faces. We raised our glasses to your memory and the life you led while you were here. Even though today has been so hard for everyone who loved you, I'm sure you know now how celebrated your life is on this day.
We love you and miss you every day.
Happy Birthday!
Lana
PS. thanks for helping me out on that ridiculous flight last Friday .... I know you were there :)
I met you on your 23rd birthday. I remember what you were wearing (khaki shirt, tie, infamous military cap :) This weekend we celebrated your life. Samil and I talked about one of the last times we were out with you and we smiled and laughed ... we were able to remember you the way you would want us to on your birthday ... with huge smiles on our faces. We raised our glasses to your memory and the life you led while you were here. Even though today has been so hard for everyone who loved you, I'm sure you know now how celebrated your life is on this day.
We love you and miss you every day.
Happy Birthday!
Lana
PS. thanks for helping me out on that ridiculous flight last Friday .... I know you were there :)
Monday, April 03, 2006
Happy Birthday Tombie :)
I miss you so much and in a way that words cannot explain. Every memory of you is still so close to the surface, and there is not a minute in a day that I dont miss our friendship. My one wish is that you could come back, but I find peace in knowing that you are now probably traveling the world 3 times over...one of your greatest pleasures in life. I didn't know what I would be like on this day, but the ironic thing is I did not go to sleep last night at all, I tried but was not successful, consequently I have been tired and fatigue all day not really able to "feel" anything. I think that happened for a reason...dealing with this situation is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Happy Birthday again sweetlove, you are forever in my thoughts and I will love you forever.
LaToya Jones
LaToya Jones
Happy B-Day
I didn't know you personally, but I grew up in Hyde Park so call me sentimental but I was hurt and angry when I heard of what happened to you. Happy Birthday Tombol. I just happened to be on the internet today when I decided to google your name. My prayers are with you and your entire family.
God bless,
K.G.
God bless,
K.G.
Happy Birthday Tombol
Tombol,
I just wanted to say Happy Birthday to you! Me, Ebone, and Brooke bought you a birthday cake and ice cream, and sung "Happy Birthday" to you. We drank champaigne and listened to Mass Hysteria and Common. Tombol, I miss you more than words can express. Any other year I would have called you at midnight to tell you Happy Birthday, but this year I just celebrated your life. I love you so much!
Stephanie
I just wanted to say Happy Birthday to you! Me, Ebone, and Brooke bought you a birthday cake and ice cream, and sung "Happy Birthday" to you. We drank champaigne and listened to Mass Hysteria and Common. Tombol, I miss you more than words can express. Any other year I would have called you at midnight to tell you Happy Birthday, but this year I just celebrated your life. I love you so much!
Stephanie
Happy Birthday
Happy birthday Tombol. I miss you so so much. Today has been so painful for me. A lot more than I thought it would be. I'm just sitting here crying, my heart breaking, wishing that you were with me on this day. Not a day goes by that I don't think of you. I love you so much.
Samil
Samil
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