By QuaWanna Bannarbie

This is dedicated to Oakland Elementary School art teacher and Brave Heart, Mrs. Jodie Linkous. I pray this message ministers peace to all those who loved her and will miss her.

I am not going to write you a love song, because your life painted one. Every day you walked through the door at 5505 Godwin Blvd., you made art. When the drive to work was long and you knew the day ahead would be also, you still found a crayon, a canvas or a ribbon and turned it into creative genius. Whether your hair was green or its natural, bright, fiery hue, you made the children smile. That is what you came to do.

If a teacher or parent or administrator ever walked into your classroom, they probably saw an array of unfinished projects grouped among displays, illustrations and crafts. The art of expression must be free to express, even if to others it may seem like a huge mess. Children walked over that threshold into a place of possibility. You put a pen or brush in a small hand and they discovered, “I can.”

There are numerous awards that bear your name. You certainly deserve the honor. The awards that you gave away are the ones we will treasure. “This certificate awarded to my child in recognition of valuable contributions to the Oakland Network News TV Crew or Odyssey of the Mind Team” given by Jodie Linkous. Your signature affixed in calligraphy, because that is what artists do. You gave our children skills that they will use and carry on your legacy.

You had a love for something that many of us could not reproduce. How you helped little hands and brains discover their talents waiting to be unleashed. Thank you for being so creative and so unique. I know it will be difficult to imagine PTA or dinner theater or graduation celebrations without your eye for ideas. We are a bit heartbroken and confused that you are no longer here.

The lyrics of a rarely played song by Michael Jackson come to mind as I write this tribute.

“Born to amuse, to inspire, to delight
Here one day
Gone one night
Like a sunset
Dying with the rising of the moon
Gone too soon. Gone Too Soon.”

A little short in stature but major in impact is how you will be remembered. Your abrupt goodbye bears a lesson we promise to heed well. Live purposefully, love fully and die empty. The 2010-2011 Oakland Elementary School yearbook was entitled “Among the Stars” and you certainly are a star in our book. We bid you a Brave Goodbye until we meet again.

QuaWanna Bannarbie is an adjunct professor of nonprofit leadership and management with Indiana Wesleyan University, National and Global. Her children attend Suffolk Public Schools. Connect with her via Twitter @QNikki_Notes.