My Tribute to Johnnie Mae Jones
With deep sadness, I write this blog in remembrance of Johnnie Mae Jones. As a youth she lived in Abbeville just three houses down the street from my home. Like most neighbors in a small town, we were kin; her father and my grandfather were brothers making us cousins. The legal term is cousin first removed because we shared a common ancestry, my great grandfather.
My fondest memory of Johnnie Mae was with her husband, James and the hospitality of opening their home to others in Newnan, Georgia. In the 90’s as an Army reservist, I was assigned to a unit in Atlanta. So I had to drive from Abbeville, Alabama, to Atlanta, Georgia monthly (one weekend per month) to meet my obligations. The distance was too far to drive back and forth, so I reached out to them for a room to sleep on Saturday nights, which will allow me a shorter distance on Sunday morning. She treated me like family, I mean, really like family with a meal and the works. Being a young Captain with new responsibilities in a totally new environment created uncertainties. However, knowing that I had the comfort of family within the area enabled me to excel even more during this three-year assignment.
I can also remember watching Johnnie Mae from a distance as she cared for her mother whom we affectionately called Mama Jewel. Her attitude toward her
mother will later inspire me to care for my parents in the same way. I can remember her making arrangement for Mama Jewel to reside in a facility located close to her home in Newnan so she could see her regularly. She reminded me that the close proximity of her mother enabled her to make surprise visits to ensure that her needs were always met. Likewise, when my parents became ill, my sister and I made the same decision for our parents, placing them in a facility less than two miles from our home. Not one day do I regret having following in the steps of Johnnie Mae where my parents are concerned.
Thank you, Johnnie Mae for remember your cousin, Mickey in Abbeville. You gave me the confidence when traveling to Fort Gillem, Fort McPherson, and even Fort Gordon in Augusta that if I made it to Newnan, I had someone to call if I needed help. Unbeknownst, such an emergency occurred, and with confidence I reach out and your husband, James immediately came to my rescue.
Family is Family and when Family loves Family, an unexplainable sadness arises that only memories can heal. Thank you for the memories.
Ms. Johnnie Mae Jones