Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Remembering Jean


Today, Jean Price is being "laid to rest" as the old Southern Term goes. Buried. Earthly body place in a casket and then lowered to the ground. Macabre sounding? It is. But, that is what is happening this afternoon. HOWEVER, b/c we are Christians, we see old body "laid to rest" and NEW body for Jean in heaven.Broken vessel placed in ground and new, spiritual body free of pain and death. Jean's NEW body is present and with our Lord (thank goodness).  Funerals aren't my favorite but are ways of saying good-bye for many. I won't be able to make sweet Jean's service. I am keeping Kemp/Daisy as Nat/Brad are leaving for a planned trip to Maine. I hate I will miss the words that will be spoken about her but I am having my own "funeral" for her today through my blog. Terry and I both prayed for her this morning, praising God she is finally, healed. And, I was looking upstairs for something for the kids and lo and behold, there sat my "angel box". A box Jean made for me about 20 years ago, at least.  And made  with, get this, pieces of cardboard/ old paints and glitter and some pearls. And it's my treasure! She said she was embarrassed to give it to me and I remember how excited she was to give it to me and how excited I was. Only a few people knew how difficult it was for Jean to do anything with her left hand and yet she did it...Jean was an artist. I use that now in the past tense. 2 days ago I would'v written, Jean IS an artist.  Her art talent was cut short by a stroke in her early 50's.Left her paralyzed on one side. Her "art side".But, did that stop her? Not a chance.She just barreled forward doing what she could/ with what little she had to continue to make cards/notes, etc. for her friends and family with her "good" hand. Her left hand. AND taking care of a bedridden mother and a sister who had cancer. Oh, did I mention she had one leg?? Yes, she lost a leg ,too from complications with the stroke/diabetes, etc. Just reading that reminds me that only one word could accurately describe jean: Tenacity!!!! coupled with perserverance! ....About 3 years ago she had another great setback--problems with UTI's (which is what eventually led to her death). She would go to the hospital for days at a time. The last one was so bad that she was unable to stay alone anymore and  she was sent to a nursing home. As luck, no as GOD would have it, the same place Mimi is living. Golden Living Nursing Home in Trussville. So, it was great b/c I felt like we were still neighbors in a way. (FYI, Jean was our next door neighbor growing up)! Strange how that worked out....! Such a "God thing" as I reflect. Neighbors for YEARS and ended up still being Mimi's "neighbor"!

Jean had an incredible wit. She was so funny and loved jokes. DIRTY jokes were her fav. Made me laugh all the time. And , until she got to where it was harder and harder for her to speak clearly, we used to enjoy talking: CRAFTS. She loved crafts. I sent her a huge box full of some of my scrapbook items one day and she said she had to get 2 people to lift the box and bring it into her little assisted living apartment (that she was living in, at the time). She loved it. I loved sharing them with her b/c she was soooo talented and she could make something out of  nothing!!! Here are a few pix of some of the things Jean made for me and some notes (so you can see her humor!) when she was still living with her mother/sister in East Lake (our old neighborhood)! Also going to post what I sent to Sally Alloca (preacher at ELUMC) when asked for some stories about Jean to share for today's funeral. What I wrote that I sent Sally, followed by the pix of some of my treasures of notes I saved. (See, FRY KIDS, why I love SAVING everything?????).... Maybe you can see the TINIEST spark of who Jean was, even if you had never met her. I could never even begin to try and encapsulate Jean's life and cannot and it wouldn't be fair for me to do so. All I know is what she was to me. And sharing that with you, for it's only fitting, if  you haven't met her, to see  a "smidgen" of what an incredible person she was , despite the hard times and the "cards that were dealt" her in this life. May we all learn from her perseverance and tenacity and FAITH.......*rest in peace my dear funny and loving and scrapbooking friend. can't wait to "crop and cut" in heaven with you!

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My memories of Jean are from our neighborhood days. We lived right next door to the Bodines. At age 16,    Jean won an award for a beautiful painting of a boy and a wagon, and  it was even on the front of the B'ham News.( She took after her dad, also an artist, made beautiful paintings!!)! (Mrs. Bodine loved to tell the story to people that when I first saw the painting, I was around 6) I asked "is this PAINT BY NUMBER?"! NO! HAHA! Jean thought that was so funny! It was gorgeous. Such a talent!!!!  it was lovely and I wish I knew where the painting was, I would love to have it. It was almost "art lost" because Jean suffered a terrible stroke in her early 50's that paralyzed her left side. AND her "painting hand".  For most people, they would stop and never pick up a paintbrush again. In fact, most people would've complained and given up. Did that stop our girl? NO! She continued to painstakingly paint and do calligraphy with her left hand. It would take her hours to address an envelope but she would do it. That's our Jean. She never stopped being creative/ loving and funny! Her WIT set her apart. She loved jokes and could remember them and would get so tickled  ( & would laugh before the punch line) and so would everyone who heard it, too, because, well, being with Jean was just like being with sunshine and she would bring everyone to laughter. She brightened up the darkest of rooms and places. Her eyes held so much sparkle, when she was having trouble speaking, she would look at you with those imploring eyes and you just understood. You understood the pain but you also understood that she was going on with perseverance. Perseverance most people cannot understand. How she did it, I don't know. Well, yes i DO know. She had a deep faith and it was this very faith that kept her smiling her crooked smile/ making people feel good / saying "thank you, baby" to everyone and just continuing to use the gifts God gave her to the very end. She is a "case in point" of one who fulfilled their calling, despite everything that happened in her life. She was an inspiration and a joy. And I count myself blessed that I could be called her friend. Until we meet again and until that time, I will try hard to carry on her positive legacy of faith/laughter and love. 



















     Think I don't treasure these special notes and Angel Box?