"The Best Funeral Ever"

As many of you know, my Mom, Evelyn Jackson, passed away on September 27, 2010. Her funeral was October 1st and her burial was today, October 5th.

I have already written an "R.I.P." blog but I want to give a little more insight into this remarkable lady.

During the calling hours and her service the obvious occured to me; that Mom left no enemies. I know of no one else that I can truthfully say that about. She never bad- mouthed anyone, including "wannabe" enemies!

At the calling hours and the funeral, there was sadness, but also an aura of peacefulness and appreciation in everyone whose lives she had touched in any way. She was a simple lady with no ego who said "no" to very few people during her life. I am sure that all of the people who were there, including family, were in some way touched by her beneficence!

Now let me get to the main point of this blog; that Mom had a unique lexicon, or way of expressing herself, which was part of her charm. Here are some of her expressions:

"Shoot-a-bear". Mom said this when she was startled, surprised, puzzled, at a loss for words, or confronted with a situation which was out of her control. This simple statement saved time and conveyed how she felt about specific situations.

"Hoodinky or whodinky". This was used as an adjective, for example, " That hoodinky cow must be sick because she didn't give as much milk as she usually did." It was also used as a noun, as "Whodinky stopped by the house to see you." You could always figure out what the "hoodinky" or who the "whodinky" was sooner or later!!

"Okie- dokie". Lots of people say O.K. or alright but few say "okie- dokie" the way Mom did. in fact she went through a time when she said "okie- dokie sokie." I have no idea what the "sokie" meant except for the fact that it added a bit of onomatopoeia (look it up!) to what she said!

However, Mom's most memorable and endearing saying, which said a lot about her as a person, was for example, " This is the best meal I have ever eaten"; or "that is the cutest baby I have ever seen"; or "this is the best car I have ever ridden in"; or " this is the nicest house I have ever been in". Well, you get the point. Mom appreciated the simple, mundane things in life and expressed herself in a  manner that would make everyone around her feel better because of her prescence. She was a veritable "welcome wagon" as hundreds of people who stopped by the house over the years can attest to.

Many of you attended her services, but I wish that everyone reading this, whether you knew Mom or not, could have attended "The Best Funeral Ever"!!