At Jenny's celebration of life last August, we gave attendees the option of filling out note cards to share memories of her. Not long afterwards, a dear friend Jenny's--who is now a dear friend of mine--collected the cards and presented them to me, Dylan and Tyler in an elaborate and beautifully assembled scrapbook. Because at the time it was hard enough for me to deal with my own memories of Jenny, however, I didn't have the emotional bandwidth to process the memories others had of her. So, for months I let the book sit unopened in the memorial that we have for Jenny in our living room.
With the anniversary of Jenny's passing, however, I built up the courage to read some--though not all--of the messages written to remember Jenny. I'll share a few here:
Jenny's colleague:
You never realize how someone affects your life until you look back. Jenny made me a better person. I strive to be as calm as her. It's not an easy thing. I still expect to see her on conference calls, see her at events, hear her voice, answer her questions and emails. The void she left is immeasurable. She was beyond sweet and thoughtful. A passing comment about a like or a hobby turned into a gift from Jenny that you'd never see coming. I shared a bottle of wine Jenny sent me for my birthday with my husband last week.
-SH
Jenny's former manager:
Missing the laughs, jokes, hikes and dinners when she joined our team meetings in Florida and Europe. We laughed up the mountain on a dirt trail in the rain and Bamburgh Castle...We got lost.
-BB
Jenny's cousin's daughter:
At dinner when I was sitting next to my grandparents and far away from everyone else, she made sure to talk to me and it was really comforting.
-EH
Dylan and Tyler's friend from sports teams and elementary school:
I remember walking with Dylan and Tyler to their car, where Mrs. Chow looked so happy to see me. Her positivity affected me and I now feel like she's helped me stay positive through hard times. She is an amazing person and her love for sports shed onto Dylan and Tyler. It's a reason that I was able to bond with them. I wouldn't trade those memories of playing baseball and football with them for anything.
-GA
Dylan and Tyler's close friend since second grade:
One memory I have of Jenny was during our elementary school concerts. My parents would sometimes not be able to attend, but she would always send them pictures and make me feel supported. In the interactions I had with Jenny, I always had positive experiences.
-JS
A fellow baseball mom:
Too many memories to list! Baseball Moms forever. We love you.
-CM
I will share more memories from guests at Jenny's celebration of life at a later date.
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