Jody's Eulogy

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George asked me to say a few words on behalf of Jody:

Jody's Heart

The Bible says - - - - The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Jody had a beautiful heart.

The most beautiful heart of anyone I've ever known….

Her heart made her beautiful blue eyes shine ------ and her smile and personality absolutely took over any room that she entered.


Heaven

On Monday, Jody entered into the presence of God - - - as the Bible clearly states to be "absent from the body is to be present with the Lord."

Jody is in the perfect place - - we know in Heaven there is no sorrow, no pain, no crying, no suffering, no disabilities NO WHEELCHAIRS ....and no death…… ………

Jody is free from pain and in the perfect presence of God - - -forever……..

Because we all love Jody so much, we know in our hearts that this is the perfect place for her to be - - we have all prayed for the Lord to take away her pain and He has chosen to now answer those prayers. Jody is in a place of eternal joy - - - and I'm certain that gives each and every one of us a smile and a sense of relief and thankfulness……………………


Sadness

But there is sadness - - - - The sorrow we feel is for us - - for our loss - - - -

But Jody comes first - - - and when you stop and think that she is in a place of complete joy - - no pain, no suffering - - it is truly a time for celebration and thankfulness!

We celebrate Jody's life by looking back:


Lake Wawasee - -

Jody loved it there and she loved it most when the Langs were there at the same time. Debby and Mack will never forget how inseperable Kurt and Jody were. Jody loved Kurt and followed him around everywhere he went - - a photo in the collage is telling - - Jody sitting on Kurt's lap in a family picture at Wawasee…… Jody called him "Kurt" - - - -

And in the same way, a few days ago, Ellie yelled out her front screen door at an older friend riding his bicycle through the neighborhood as he would do a few times a day - - she yelled - -

"Hey Murt, mommy's sad because Jody went to visit God."

Consider Christmas time - - -

Did Jody ever open up a present on her own????

It was always "Jody and Jamie need to open these at the same time."

JodyandJamie

In fact, Jody and Jamie actually became one word - - - you never said one without the other - - it was always "JodyandJamie"…… Those 2 together - - they were inseperable - - Just like Jody followed Kurt around at Wawasee, Jamie followed Jody around…….everywhere…..

Everything Jamie did was because of Jody - - - doing gymnastics, practicing cheerleading, cleaning the kitchen, playing games - - - - Jody always let Jamie tag along and play……

Sometimes with disastrous results - - - like when Jody was teaching Jamie how to ride a bike and there was an incident on Foxwell's driveway resulting in Jamie losing her 2 front teeth…….And then maybe, the next day Jody opened a door right in Jamie's face resulting in another lost tooth……

From the beginning, Jody was always there for Jamie and she was the best big sister a little girl and a big girl could ever have….

Uniqueness of Jody - - -

Very good athlete but didn't play organized sports

Loved animals (even naming her dog Bernie after Pop)

Always put relationships first

Strong convictions

Only one who met her eventual husband in HS

Went out of her way to include Ahmed in the family when no one else did

Never afraid to try new things - like court reporting

Liked to challenge authority in her younger days

Very, very funny - like the time she took the microphone at Christmastime and announced the Christmas presents

Very witty

An overabundance of common sense

Everyone who met her really liked her

She had a gift of making people feel better about themselves -- just because they met her…..

She had the best heart of anyone I've ever known

Absolutely a beautiful person inside and out

Tough !


Nicknames

One nickname that always made Jody smile was the name "The Jodster" taken from a character on a mid 80's sitcom.. She loved that nickname (partly because Danny did not give it to her) and George had the name "The Jodster" added to the temporary headstone at the cemetery - - - I think everyone who will see will smile……

Jody had a number of nicknames thanks to Danny - - - I take no credit or blame in all the nicknames Jody received or earned….. Time and decorum don't allow us to go through all the nicknames - - - but even though all the names were not kind, Jody never let the constant needling get to her - - - she was incredibly tough and resilient…..


Weakness

Like Superman's kryptonite - - - as tough as Jody was - she had a weakness - - and Jenny knew how to exploit it - - - - Jody couldn't handle the heads being off her dolls…… so Jenny would use it to get back at the Jodster whenever necessary……………..


School

In school, Jody was always the most popular and beautiful girl in her class - -

and as a student, she always enjoyed the social aspect of high school and college


Gram and Pop

Jody was always Gram (Nan) and Pop's favorite because Jody had always made time for them. When the rest of us in the family were taking care of us - - Jody was thinking about and spending time with gram and pop


One person Jody liked was Mother Theresa: "Someone once asked Mother Teresa if she thought we didn't suffer in the United States like other people did because we were a righteous nation, and Mother Teresa said, "No, I'm afraid you're so wrong."" She said "I don't think you suffer in the United States because you are not worthy to suffer."

Jody was certainly the exception……..


Sickness

Jody was sick in her life more than she was healthy. In 1977 diagnosed with MD and in 1995 with Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson's disease……

When you picture Jody sitting in her chair the one word that comes to mind is contentment…… she was a perfect picture of contentment - never complaining…..

Mack's reading was a perfect description - - - "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want…"In effect saying - - I have God - - what else could I possibly need????

The perception is this weakness is a negative - - - yet the Bible says otherwise……

Paul pleaded three times in prayer to the Lord to take away an incredible physical pain in his life that Paul knew made him weak.. The Lord replied:"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Paul concluded - - I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Jody was weak and many times all of us prayed for the Lord to take away the pain and suffering causing the weakness….. The Lord chose to wait so that we could see his power made perfect in total weakness………One way I saw the Lord's power made perfect in weakness was by observing George……..

George

"George and Jody" replaced "JodyandJamie"

They have been together more than 25 yrs……

Our family and the Dolen family considers George a hero for how he responded to Jody - I'm certain George Senior is so very proud of his only son ….. Through George's actions of caring, kindness, consistency and compassion toward Jody - - - - , George showed me Jesus Christ. The examples of Christ's love, compassion I have read in the Bible were lived out right before my eyes by George. George showed me Jesus - and a higher compliment could never be given to any person….He showed me power and compassion in weakness… He showed me No sorrow is ever wasted by God…..


Suffering

The suffering and the pain is over for Jody - - - and the Lord promises one day to end all suffering on this earth…… Why doesn't he do it now? Whats holding Him up? Some of us are……….He's holding back the curtain of the close of history so that some of you might be touched by his love, that some of u may put your trust in Him, that u may come to a relationship with Him and spend eternity in heaven with Him. and our Jody………·


Conclusion

We started by saying Jody had the most beautiful heart of anyone I've ever known……… I'm certain she made her namesake Aunt Jody proud…….

To Jody - - - - - -Until we all meet again, we love you so much Jodster and we thank you for being the wonderful daughter, grand daughter, niece, cousin, sister, sister in law, daughter in law, aunt and wife - - - -and for the lasting impact your heart and your irreplaceable life has had on us all.

The Bible says - - - - Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

And now Jody has seen and will be in the presence of God for eternity - - with no suffering, no pain and complete joy……for always….

And because of this - - - we celebrate the life of Jody Doyle Dolen and Jody celebrates her new life with Christ!


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