Jacqueline L. (Hudson) Crockett

My mom was very special, she didn’t parent by the book for instance the way she taught me to trust my instincts. That probably sticks out most clearly. I can remember distinctly being about 7 or 8 and coming in from having a water bottle fight out side at my grandmother’s house with a friend. We were soaked! I came in and put the spray bottle down, mom said “Jaycee let me see the bottle” thinking I was in trouble I said “uh-uh you’ll spray me”, Mom replied “Jaycee I’m your mom would I do that?” Feeling sheepish I handed her the spritzer. Whack right in the face with a spray of water, “mommy!” I said, “Now Jaycee your gut instinct told you not to give me that that’d I’d spray you that is why you always trust your instincts” she said matter of factly. That was mom. She taught by example. She made sure she was not only my mother but also my best friend, someone I could come to with anything. Mom always said that if I believed strongly enough in my convictions I shouldn’t hid them from anyone. But one lesson she unknowingly taught me and all of us how to deal with constant pain with enough grace to still be able to smile. Even through these past few weeks while this horrible ordeal went on mom still maintained her class and dignity, she would make it a point as lethargic as she was to say “Thank you” to the nurses and aides as they worked to make her more comfortable. At one point she let out a cry of pain during one of these sessions only to quietly whisper “I’m sorry” afterwards. At one point when she first got to the JML I had called to see if she needed anything before I came up, she asked me to stop by Wal-Mart and pick up an angel pin for one of the nurses who had mentioned that she had lost her best friend recently, and my mom even in the middle of all this, said she thought that that nurse would like an angel, and that it would cheer her up.This was a common thing with mom other’s always came first. See my mom had a uncanny ability to read people, as all of you know in this room and if mom counted you as a friend there was nothing better. And she taught me never above all, never go to bed angry and Always say I love you because you never know when it may be the last time you say it. I am not scared for mom to complete this journey that is life because I know in my heart that she will always be with me. It’s the only thing that makes sense to me through all this. She will finally be going home, and she will have no pain and nothing to hold her back anymore. In my opinion mom was the one person on earth that I knew that could be described as an angel.You see it is my belief that all angels are not pristine untouchable being but they can also be a person who enriches others souls just by being in their presence, someone who does unto others above all else. That was my mom. She never judged a person by what they looked like but by their soul. I cannot even begin to describe to all of you the depth of my mother’s love for everyone here and for those she held dear. That was my mom with her baby soft skin, 20 earrings, tiny little size 5 feet, and 11 tattoos and huge all encompassing heart has molded more souls then I could ever dare to count, and she didn’t even try. She did it without us even knowing how lucky we were. How very privileged we were to have her in our lives even for this short time.My mom was so much to so many be it sister, daughter, aunt, cousin, “adopted” Mom or friend. But most of all she was a loving wife and the best mother anyone could be blessed with. And it is very important that you all know that, how very unique and blessed we all truly are because very few people can truly say they knew, held, touched and loved and were loved back by a true angel.