Have You Met Miss Jones?

What is a MomieJo?

It doesn’t really matter if you called her JoAnn, Mom, Nanna, Jo, Aunt Jo, or MomieJo, as long as you didn’t call her Josephine. Whatever you called her, I know you felt the warmth of her love. I am lucky enough to have called her MomieJo.

What is a MomieJo?

I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked that question.

She was not the nanny. She was definitely not just a babysitter. She was not exactly my mother, aunt or grandmother. She was the maternal nurturer, caregiver and embodiment of unconditional love. She was my MomieJo. No one else had a MomieJo, so I always had to try to explain what a MomieJo was. A teacher would say, “Kathleen, your MomieJo is here? “ My friends would turn to me and ask me what a MomieJo was. I don’t think I was ever fully able to define what MomieJo meant.

When I would walk through the door, she would greet me with “Hi Beautiful!” She had a way of focusing intensely on young children in a way that made them feel acknowledged and important. She joyfully doted on the little ones. MomieJo outwardly recognized the wonderful milestones and adorable things that young children do. She seemed to innately understand the value of early childhood.

My understanding, appreciation and gratitude for MomieJo grows as I experience my own journey through motherhood. I miss her so much already, but there are parts of her that will always be with me. It is fitting that February is the month of her birth and death and rebirth, a month we celebrate and express LOVE. My sister told me the other day that my 3 year old nephew said quite simply, “MomieJo. She LOVES me!” We have all been lucky to have that feeling. The fact that we all miss her so much is evidence that she lived her life with rich relationships and deep connections to other people. She got it right. So, the next time someone asks me what MomieJo means, I know I can tell a MomieJo is LOVE.

- My sister’s amazing eulogy