I will never forget when I first reached 1,000 posts on the Dave Cullen Forum, and I started a thread about what my special name should be. I received a number of joking replies, all of which made me laugh.
And then Jackie posted, and said I should be called "Faithful Friend", because that was the one description that she felt fit me the most. I was so touched, I called to thank her, and it became my "tag" there, and it will never change.
When the Texas BBQ took place in '06, my direct flight from NJ to Tx had ended up becoming 2 layovers, and many missed flights due to a security scare. What was supposed to be a flight landing at noon on Thursday, beccame an 18 hour ordeal that ended just after midnight, so technically Friday AM.
I got off that plane, and bleary-eyed, tried to locate my bags. When I found them, there was a touch on my shoulder from behind, and I heard "Hello Faithful Friend". It was Jackie, she had come to the airport to meet me, and she gave my weary body a big hug.
I've since had the good fortune to see Jackie many times over the next two years, twice at her apartment, once in Ocean City, once in Bay City, once in NYC, and once in Colorado. Every time she saw me, I was greeted the same way, with a big hug and a "Faithful Friend".
When I went through hard times, she would call me to check up on me, and always made time to take my calls when I needed to talk.
Jackie, I'm sending all my prayers and love, and if I could, my strength as well.
She's just a few hours drive from me
she lives on the same coast
a woman that we all hold dear
and who would frequently post
to the forum where she made friends
where she'd spend parts of her day
and little did she know
she touched our hearts along the way
with the way she shared her feelings
and the way she talked to us
free with her time and her emotions
and she never raised a fuss
I'm sure that Jackie knows
that we're praying for her now
and we'd take this pain from her
if we truly just knew how
so let's hold on to each other
while we pray to God above
focus now on Jackie
and we'll send her all our lovewe love you, Jackie!