By Terra Avilla
This year has been rough for all of us. It just has. Each family has faced its own struggles, trying to maneuver our way through this pandemic. And with the year coming to a close, and the stress of the holiday season, it is really easy for me to become very Grinch like. Luckily for me, I have amazing people in my life who continually remind me what this season is about. This holiday season, that person has been my dear friend Jessica Meanor.
Sweet Jessica forced her friendship into my life (like seriously- she just showed up and bombarded me with her kindness) and for that I am so grateful.
I have never met someone who consistently tries to help others. Jessica is the most reliable, willing to help person- I have ever met. Throughout the years she has been in my life, Jessica has always been someone, I knew, that I could count on, to do whatever bizarre task or request I had. Whether that be decorating at odd hours for the policeman’s ball, becoming a police explorer advisor, seeking numerous donations for various events, or hand making gifts for stockings, Jessica is pretty rad.
She never complains, she simply shows up and asks what she can do next to help. Imagine the world if I we were all “Jessicas”. My sweet giving friend remembers birthdays and anniversaries, as well as makes it a point to offer to assist me and my husband with our crazy schedules.
Jessica loves this community, and I feel like so much of what she does (and it’s a lot) goes unnoticed. Jessica is so often behind the camera cheering on others, she vary rarely gets any specific acknowledgment for the things she does.
As I draft this article, just in the capacity I know her, there are way too many things to list. Jessica has always been my person, I know I could reach out to help me. Most of the time, it isn’t until way after she has assisted me, that I realize the great burden it put on her as she rescheduled things in her day to convenience me. She is just that great.
Jessica is an amazing friend and wife, and faux auntie to my girls. I am not quite sure how long sweet Jessica has been in Lassen County, but it’s been long enough for her to endear herself to others among the community.
During my many outings in town, I constantly encounter others whom she has impacted in a positive powerful way. They love her as much as I do, and I hope if you don’t know her, you get the chance to see why she is one of the reasons I love the place we live.
