Mrs. Jackson shared her love of reading with all. She deserves a happy retirement.
My sister woke up Friday morning and turned off a series of iPhone alarms:
6:01 a.m. Alarm, every weekday
6:30 a.m. Coffee! Coffee!, every weekday
7:01 a.m. You Missed Breakfast!, every weekday
And so on … Every alarm notice with a green button got a swipe left.
That we are siblings remains one of the mysteries of this universe:
I have one alarm setting. 6 a.m. Or sometimes another even-number time (if I’ve got an early flight out of RDU). No way I’d get out of bed at an odd-number time.
No coffee for me. It’s green tea.
I never miss breakfast and don’t need a reminder. (I’ve been on a Cheerios kick recently.)
Night and day, ebony and ivory, salt and pepper — pick your polar descriptor, and my sister and I redefined it. We rarely played together as kids because my competitiveness — and alleged habit of changing the rules in any game — didn’t mesh with her introverted ways.
Differences between siblings
I was the one playing outside and making new friends. My sister preferred reading alone in her bedroom.
I went to the University of Oklahoma. Her husband and two daughters graduated from Oklahoma State University.
She loves cats. We live in a neighborhood of dogs.
I have two living brothers and my sister, so she endured a lot of angst growing up. I plead guilty in the Sibling Court of Orneriness for my share of taunting, teasing and more taunting.
But if there is a positive of getting old, it’s knowing childhood differences mellow.
My sister has good friends, and they enjoy going to Broadway shows. We do, too.
She has a quirky-smart sense of humor that translates into wonderful stories. I love hearing stories that are quirky-smart and wonderful.
Her home office is an explosion of art, books and mementos crammed into a small, colorful space. And my favorite home space … well … we’re not similar there. (Think art gallery meets Crate and Barrel showroom.)
She likely will be horrified that I’m writing about her sequence of alarms. But there is a reason she deserves the well-intended tease and well-earned praise.
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Students loved Mrs. Jackson
Friday was her last day as an elementary school librarian. For years, she’s awakened at 6:01 a.m. during the school year — let me shudder at the odd-number tardiness of it all — drank mass quantities of coffee, remembered to eat breakfast, and then brought joy to the lives of hundreds of impressionable kids.
Mrs. Jackson is well-loved at her school. She has a knack for knowing every student and what books interest them. An Oklahoma City TV station once profiled her achievements.
Through the years, she’s used Facebook to share funny and oftentimes heartfelt anecdotes of interactions with students. The consistent thread, though, is the respect she has for these young humans, and how reading can connect them with their dreams.
Not sure what book you want to read? Mrs. Jackson has recommendations. And she knows where to find them. And she’s read them, too.
My sister, the original book nerd, turned her love into a livelihood that has influenced young lives.
So, congratulations, Mrs. Jackson.
Proud of you.
Now enjoy retirement.
And sleep in to … oh … 6:02 a.m.
Bill Church is executive editor of The News & Observer. Despite family lore, he doesn’t recall any incidents of alleged rules-changing to win games.
