Happy Birthday Jennie Cooper! One hell of a mother.

The ability to do as she pleases and “calm as a hurricane”…they got that right!

Mother’s Day circa 1994:

You were born in the Depression years.  You were named after your fathers’ mother – Jennie Cooper.  As a child, you could skate faster and ride a bike better than any boy in LaGrange, Georgia.  You loved your mother but were much closer to your father.  You are a diehard Georgia Bulldog fan and it goes without saying that you hate Georgia Tech but you always respected a “Tech Man.”  You were in the Coast Guard and loved the Big Band era of the war years.  Frank Sinatra was your favorite.  You are an encyclopedia of Southern sayings like, “If you misbehave again, it’s gonna be too wet to plow.”  You feel like there is a difference between which side of the Mason-Dixon Line you’re from.  A twist of fate determined that you would raise your five boys without a husband.  You worked at night and went to school in the day and got your college degree at the age of 51 (you commuted 150 miles a day to do it).  You nursed your mother until she passed away, at home and gracefully, and then you battled cancer and are winning the fight.  You often said, “you don’t know what love is until you have children.”  All this you did with enthusiasm, optimism and vigor – always with vigor.  You are an inextinguishable spirit that is contagious to those around you.  You’re tough.  But most importantly, to your children through all the varied times, you imparted unyielding love.  The formula for a good mother is complex; mixing consistency, discipline, example and material needs to mold a child’s character.  In all these things you may not have been perfect.  But one thing was never in question, one thing was never lacking, one thing you had limitless quantities of, and that was love.  We always received love and felt loved and that was your greatest gift as a mother and a part of you we hope to pass on to our children. 

We love you  Jennie Cooper