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| This is my mother holding her great-granddaughter. |
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| Christina Jackson is holding Erin Joy. The nurses called her Joy for her happiness and laughter, only to find out that was her middle name, besides ours for her - Erin Where's the Party Jackson. |
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Christina is holding the older sister, Bethany Joan Marie, whose smiles and natural curly blonde hair earned her the nickname Angel. She posed for the camera every time.
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Christina loved to visit people. This was at Larry Carlson's home; he suffered from ALS or Lou Gehrig's Disease.
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Christina posed with LCA Presiding Bishop James Crumley. Years later we were at lunch with him, and he asked about my exit from the LCA.
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Christina's photo with Alice Walton led to the group picture of the Walton family at their art museum.
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Christina got a hug from Alice Walton, which led to the Walton family photo above. I met both of the CEOs of Walmart at their meetings. I do that because there is often just one chance.
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Hang around too long, you get your portrait at a museum.
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| Pastor Lawrence White, LCMS, spoke at a conference we attended. Christina enjoyed talking to him, and he was very gracious. |
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| We only have so long to be with our mothers, so we should let them enjoy our love for them, because the final years are too brief. |
This is a short list of famous people I made an effort to meet - President Richard Nixon, President Ronald Reagan (I led us into the VIP section), Roland Bainton, Stan Hauerwas, several of the Waltons and two Walmart CEOs, actor Hugh Jackman, Jack and Robert Preus, Ralph Bohlmann (who left me frostbitten), David Preus, actress Julie Harris, and Graham associate Cliff Barrows, and clarinet artist Benny Goodman.
Every single mother is worth more than all the celebrities, stars, and famous people put together.
Almost all my Moline friends have seen their mothers pass away. So many say on Facebook, "I wish I could talk to my mother now for just 10 minutes." The younger ones can do that now.
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| Gladys Parker, 18, was a co-ed in 1931, going to Normal College to be a teacher. Her students still talk about her being the best they ever had. |
