An Endearing Memory of Jackie's Journey
A Sister Tribute
By
Dr. Cheryl Diane (Di) Jackson-Golden
A tribute to our/my sister—yes, she has made that great transition and she will be absent from your/my presence, but never our/my heart(s) and mind(s), but she has descended beyond “the cloud” and as you know, “nothing comes down from the cloud”. She was saved; she was ready and prepared to meet her maker as evidenced in her confession as a Christian, her daily walk, her works, conversations and most of all her BELIEF…as always she handled her business.
This is a time of much sorrow… Rodney, Omar and Dedra...as a mother not a “mom” she loved you all beyond measures as all mothers do and I believe that you all know this to be true and she was so very proud of each of you for your individual contributions to her life and your accomplishments. To her significant other, Raymond... you shared with me one evening at the hospital “I made a promise to your mama and daddy and I meant it” …I knew what he was talking about. Thank you for all of the love that you were able to show my sister and being a man of your word in the absence of those that you made that promise to (its hard to get people to keep promises to folk that are alive, yet to stand on your word to those that are gone and unaware of your actions, thanks for the respect shown to my parents). To all of the remaining sisters you know she loved us in spite of our sometimes differences, but blood, love and upbringing keeps us grounded in understanding and forgiveness as Christ offers us grace each day. To all of the nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews she too loved and helped to care for many of you on occasions-trace your FACEBOOK posts and scroll the pictures; she was so very proud of you all. It was her desire as with people that she interacted with on a daily basis to give back what she had been blessed with and to share on many days what she had not been been blessed with “the full activity of her limbs”. In addition, to the many of care aides, we can never forget the unselfish acts of love for her and the children … your assistance to her in carrying out her extra duty wishes time after time.
She as with all of us, asked for what she needed in life, but as life has it be sometimes, what we need here on earth is often not available. I find joy in my heart and my belief that she is now in the land of plenty with the father that can bless her beyond measures, exceeding her every desire, want or need. As witnesses of her life and as family and friends share stories, as we read past messages that she shared through media sources about things that she was doing to make a difference in the lives of others, my pastor calls it kingdom building, “teaching Sunday School, going to Wednesday night bible study, counseling young people in or into relationships that would be pleasing to God, helping to prepare children to return to school though the giving of supplies”… she did not let her physical dictate her mental or on many days her physical did not dictate her true physical abilities or a lack of. She vacationed in sports cars, cruised the Caribbean, hung out on the beaches of the southern United States, fought to prove that she could attend regular public schools and there she excelled, earned three (3) college degrees including a Masters degree, helped to write papers for other scholars, fought for others with disabilities because of her knowledge…. so, as we see we are not mourning the life of a person that has gone on, because she led a full life and was accomplished, had fun, learned to live as Christ calls for us…we mourn our loss and true concern about what life is going to be like in the absence of “mom, the go to person, the prayer warrior, the make me feel good, the party and holiday planner” …to name a few. As Jackie slept peacefully, she did take it to the next level, “God got this” and he needs no help from us just a request again of our needs.
Love Di
January 29, 2014