Feel-good Friday: Unstoppable Women

WANTED: DRAMA QUEEN (details below)

Many of you know that my longtime friend Jackie passed away very recently.  So recently that it doesn’t even seem real that an unconventional personality as large as hers is no longer here. I share too many  memorable memories with her.  She took the last photo of me with my mom only weeks before my mom passed away.  I met J very shortly before meeting my husband and then we followed each other back and forth from Vancouver to Toronto and back again around the same time.  Even ended up in the Sinai peninsula with her during my first trip to Israel (but that’s a story in itself). We had friends in common.  She was a part of many (but not every) family celebration. We were having fun working on a web series that had merit at the time she was first diagnosed with cancer (only a few short years ago).  We were working on a rough promo, but without J’s guidance it sat in limbo.

A celebration of life was held last Sunday in a venue where she was planning to spend her 70th birthday. We celebrated her birthday without her being present physically but we’re pretty sure she was there spiritually.  There were too many strange signs that day that we were sure she was  making her presence known.  But in any event (at the event) Jackie brought together a wondefully dynamic group of women (and some men) but mostly women who told stories, read her poetry and or wrote poems/songs for her.  It was a very touching way to honour a wild, wonderful, warm spirit who was sharp as a whip.  Nobody sugarcoated the fact that she was a difficult person who imposed few no boundaries.  But the one thing we all agree on was how very much she cared and treasured her friends and would fight for us if need be like a mama bear.  Her friend Rebecca summed it up perfectly here.  Just wanted to share her words with you because that’s what friends do.  I guess this post is really to show women honoring women.  When we all come together in one room…there’s no stopping us!  

by Rebecca Harvey

Jackie Feldman
Blew into my life at full-on gale force speed
laughing fighting sparkling storm
Twisting, blowing typhoon spray of fun coloured carnival
She was my mainstay, my family, my home, my best girlfriend mid-twenties.
And we danced, we pranced, hand-in-hand through men, music, lovers, banquets, parties, tripping the light fantastic, disco had come and Diana Ross’ Love Hangover blasted
Life turned into a movie ~ and we were the stars~!
I am grateful for this deep, rich friendship.
I was in awe of her relentless ability to network, weaving webs of connection of people.
I was in awe of her ability to bring up flaws to people’s face with such friendly humour that we got our foibles while laughing at ourselves.
Jackie was completely unencumbered with boundaries. A joke that reminds me of her: “When I make you breakfast in bed, …a simple thank you is all that’s needed. None of this, ‘How did you get in my house business?”
And so my sweet sister of years ago, now you are gone.
Ball of energy, spinning from light to dark. Flashing Love. Then Vendetta.
Oh, Jackie Feldman! Rich Frolic and Dark Star ablaze!
Twisting Tornado. Rainbow
Spontaneous Creativity
Spontaneous Combustion!!
Fireball – All That!
I love you, I honour you, and I sure will remember you.
I salute you, Jackie Feldman.