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| Photo from KadieCo.com |
I was born at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital. Throughout life, Jackson was a place we would visit for doctor’s appointments, piano lessons, plays, shopping and even double dates as I was in high school. When I moved to Jackson in the fall of 2004 to start college, I thought that Jackson would be a familiar 4 year stop on my way to where I would start life. What I found, however, was home.
I found a place where some of the most creative minds I have ever interacted with put their gifts to use to advance a common goal, dream and desire. I have watched them create music, art and new spaces to enhance community. I have been encouraged and inspired as I listened to their conversations and watched as plans became realities.
I found a place where local men and women still believed that it was important and expected to be actively engaged in the civic duties that keep our communities moving forward. I have been able to serve with, campaign on behalf of and vote for those who I know have a genuine heart to make our community, state and country a better place. I have worked alongside non-elected community servants who have invested their lives and careers in making the rest of us better citizens.
I found a place where strangers became the best of friends. From different backgrounds, lifestyles, and ideologies- I am a better person because of the people I have come to know over my time in Jackson. Through them, I have learned that you don’t always have to agree with someone to have respect for them and that the way you see a situation is directly related to the experiences you have had in your life. My worldview has been made broader and better because they have allowed me to live life with them.
I found a place where community was real. We have watched as friends opened their homes and filled their tables with people different than them to have a conversation, enjoy a good meal, and be a safe place for the hurting. I witnessed firsthand as they put their financial resources to use helping rebuild homes, provide life necessities or help grow a family through adoption. We have seen and experienced this refuge type hospitality and it was a balm to our soul.
I found a place where the church was the church. We have benefited from this aspect the most. Neighbors, from all different denominations, have walked with us through our life the last 13 years. You have quite literally been the hands and feet of Jesus to us. You have wept with us in our season of pain and rejoiced with us during our season of celebration. You have held us during our season of waiting and prayed over us through it all. You have filled our home with laughter, our kitchen with good food, and our hearts with deep joy that is a gift from the Lord.
The heartbeat of this wonderful community isn’t in the amenities that it offers or a place in a “Top 10” list of places to visit. It lies within its people. You are not one of your sister cities to the East or to the West, and you shouldn’t try to be. You are Jackson. You are home to some of the best and brightest that this great state has to offer. They do life here. And that should make you swell with pride.
So here’s to you Jackson, with love and deep appreciation for loving our family well.
