A tornado touched down near my apartment in Corsicana, Texas in 1973. Fortunately, it did very little damage. And also fortunately, in the courtyard during the tornado alarm, I met Carol Jennings Kittley Jodon.
We became forever friends. She was such a multi-faceted individual. She was smart, pretty, talented, outgoing. Did I mention outgoing?
We started with many things in common. And some not-so-common. She touched my life in many ways and I became involved in new things…for me. Athletics. She was athletic. I was not. Piano. She was talented. I was not. I tried to keep up in those early years of our friendship. Also, she loved art. And, well, then I could keep up.
During our friendship, our experiences included marriages, child-rearing, church and sunday school, mutual friends, moves, illnesses, tremendous losses, jobs, travels, parties, fun times, precious grandchildren, triumphs and heartbreaks. You know…..life. Events that brought geographical space. Events that removed that space.
She was a planner and a doer. Even in this last year, we planned and did. She had just retired and had so many plans. This wasn’t her first battle with cancer. She had more than her share. In this last year, while she again courageously faced radiation, chemo, MRIs etc., we would have visits that including paintings and projects that her physical strength would allow. We cried. And we laughed. When we grew tired, we stayed up until all hours with the goal of watching funny movies. But usually something would remind us of something or someone in the past and so we talked with the movies in the background. We were glad to have that rewind button—on TV as well as in our memories. We never ran out of topics for conversation.
And we never ran out of projects. Even this last week, we planned another project, a small painting of a bird that she liked. Our common love of art helped us both in this last year. Someday, I hope to finish that project…for her.
Did I mention that she was outgoing? She had so many friends that I could not begin to count them all. And so MY memories of Carol are just a few compared to all those out there. The loss of September 28, 2012 is greatly felt. So please say a prayer for her family, her multitude of friends….and me.
