I met Jackie when I was 11. She had EB, meaning she was born with three layers of skin instead of seven. Most die as small children but they were not Jackie. This is her eulogy I gave at her funeral.
Jackie Lynn took my heart
gently changed its form,
And handed back a gift from God
that could weather any storm.
Often late at night
she would tell me stories of her life,
Pouring out 42 years
until the morning light.
I listened in amazement
as she never said
"Why me?"
She felt that those who loved her
were the real victims of E.B.
Jackie didn't just overcome E.B.,
she made it disappear,
Overpowering it with love of life,
while death was always near.
In her eyes I saw eturnity
and it took away my breath,
Surely just such eyes had closed
the day that Jesus wept.
She leaves behind a legacy
more precious that silver and gold,
A love of life beyond belief
and a purity of soul.
We will miss her presence
but be thankful for God's will,
And that He loved us enough,
to give us Jackie Lynn Caudill.
1954-1996
