Marilynn Jackson

Yesterday, a light that has brightened my days rose up to heaven.
Marilynn Jackson was 91 years young when she went to meet her savior.

I did not have the privilege of knowing Moo-Moo, as my husband introduced me to her, for long enough.  But in just a few short years - 13 to be exact - she made quite an impression.

Before I even met her, I had heard about her.  and not from michael, but from my brother-in-law who told me that Michael Calloway had a cool grandmother named "Moo-Moo."  And i thought, someone who goes by the name Moo-Moo does have to be pretty cool.


On my first visit to michael's parents' house, I had the opportunity to meet her.  And while I cannot remember the exact details of the encounter, here is what I felt and thought at that meeting and at all others like it, "Wow, she is beautiful... And she makes me feel beautiful just by talking to me."  I think I noticed that she was in a wheelchair for about 30 seconds, and then I never noticed it again.  She could make a wheelchair just seem to disappear.  The same was true even with my sons, who easily might have felt intimated or shy around that hardware that was unfamiliar to them.  Nope, instead they would just launch themselves right into her arms whenever they saw their "Mi-Mi," as she was known to them.


Marilynn was beautiful.  Her voice was beautiful when she spoke, and I have heard that it was even more beautiful when she sang.  With her smile, her mischievous eyes, and her sparkly sweater sets, she would literally light up the room.  She used words and phrases that I have never heard before, and I am afraid might die with her generation of southern ladies.  She said things like, "My stars above" and "Great land o' Goshen!"  It is expressions like these and her beautiful accent that likely led to her many on-air appearances on QVC.  Who wouldn't want to hear her on tv?

Marilynn was strong.  Her life was not easy, but she made it look that way to me.  In the years that I knew her, she always carried herself with dignity, even through the hardships of a body that was aging but a mind that was sharp as trap.  She would get knocked down physically, but her determination would push her to always rise back up again.  Her strength against adversity was inspirational.

She loved black licorice and olives.  She wrapped beautiful presents.  She had fine taste.  She loved her immense Santy Claus collection.  She was a great painter and appreciated the art work of others.  She was an encourager to her friends.  She smelled good.  She made delicious cornbread dressing, cheese straws, and date nut loaf at the holidays.  She was funny and not afraid to laugh at herself.  She was fun to sit next to.

I only got to her see her a few times a year, and I so wish it had been more.  There will never be another like her, and I am blessed to have been a part of her family for the last decade.

We love you, Moo-Moo.