Final Thoughts for 2009

As 2009 comes to a close we can't help but look back and see what has happened. So let's think for just a moment; in February we learned we would be grandparents. What a joy to anticipate the birth of a child. Ellington Elise Connerley arrived on Friday, October 2, 2009, weighing 9 pounds and 5 ounces. Yes, that's right, Lane gave birth to a nine pounder and lived to tell about it although she had doubts there for a while.






October also saw Willie's Dad, O. D. Jackson heading off for a trip to the Philippines. It was a military tour that celebrated the invasion of Leyte. They were there 65 years to the day.














In November, Reagan went to Africa. Isn't that wild? She went to Africa. I can't imagine. Our church took a group for a mission trip and we were thrilled that Reagan would be able to go. But because of the trip, she was not here to receive her honors when named to Who's Who of American Colleges and Universities. We are so proud of Reagan. She is a great student and leader at Mississippi College.



Willie and I haven't done the traveling that some of the rest of our family has done, but we are trying to hold down the fort and be where we are needed when we are needed. Christmas Day saw all of us together although Bryant, LeAnna, Robert, Lane and Ellington didn't make it to our house until lunchtime. We enjoyed being able to have everyone together at one time. I am sure you are aware that becomes more difficult to accomplish as your children grow and the family makeup changes. As we look toward 2010, we are hopeful that we will continue to see the blessings of the Lord on our family. 2009 has been a good year and we expectently look toward 2010.

November Ramblings

Ellington turned one month old on November 2nd and it won't be long until she celebrates her 2 month birthday. She developed colic at 5 weeks and has kept all of us walking the floor and jiggling a baby. The worse part is knowing that she is hurting and there seems to be nothing we can do to fix it right now.

Reagan, Kara, Jordan and Alain Kabore, and Rebecca Moore in the Jackson airport prior to their departure for Burkina Faso. They left on Saturday, November 21st and the rest of the group left on Monday, November 23rd.

Well, I thought November would bring a slow down for us, but it hasn't happened so far. I began the month with five performance of Casseroles and Mistletoe for the local Arts Council. After a couple days of rest, it was back to the races. I have been trying to do some Christmas shopping, continuing to help with Ellington who has developed colic, get Reagan ready for her mission trip to Africa plus working at Northside, teaching Sunday School this month and preparing for another professional development that I will conduct the 2nd of December for teachers of the Meridian Public School District. All in all, we have dealt with lots of different things, but then that is life, isn't it?

The most exciting event is Reagan's mission trip to Africa. How exciting!!! I wish I was there with them, too. Our church has a member that is from Burkina Faso in west Africa and a group of 14 is there now.

We are so looking forward to the upcoming Christmas season. We enjoy celebrating the birth of our Savior. One of our favorite activities is the annual Christmas get-together we have for friends and family. More on that later.

One October Day



This has been a busy month for the Jacksons. We began by welcoming our granddaughter, Ellington Elise Connerley, to the world on Friday, October 2, 2009. She arrived at 2:32 pm in Starkville, Mississippi weighing 9 lbs. 5 oz. and was 20 1/4 inches long. She is the daughter of our middle child, Lane and her husband, Robert Connerley. It was such a joy to see this new miracle and to be able to spend some time with them after her birth.



We have also been busy this month doing a little remodeling here at our house. Our home is 16 years old and shows it's age in several ways such as the green carpet and lots of wallpaper. Much of the wallpaper is gone, bathroom fixtures and hardware replaced, five rooms painted and two with new carpet. All in all it has been a profitable month.



We were able to spend a recent weekend with Reagan (our youngest) at Family Weekend at Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi. It is such a joy to visit her on campus and get to see so many of her friends. They are indeed exceptional young people and for all the negative we hear about young people, these young adults give us all hope for the future.

Our oldest child, our son, Bryant, and his wife, LeAnna live in Philadelphia, but drive in opposite directions to work. Bryant drives to Ridgeland where he is an accountant for a company called Bomgar that provides remote computer support. LeAnna heads east to Meridian where she is the Administrative Assistant to Mr. Hartley Peavey of the Peavey Corporation, known worldwide for their sound equipment.

Another biggie for our family is that Willie's father, O. D. Jackson made a trip of about 2 1/2 weeks to the Philippines. He served there during World War II and this was a military tour. Among other things they celebrated the 65th anniversary of the invasion of Leyte and O. D. was there 65 years ago. He made it back home safely and has lots of stories to tell about his time there this month.