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By: Mary Joy’s Momma, Amber Robinson-Moosman

Thank you from my whole heart for helping us make it through this hard time. Thank you for all the prayers, texts, cards, flowers, acts of kindness, and support that we’ve been given in honor of our beautiful Mary Joy. I want you all to know that my strength and courage comes from Jesus and my love of God and my precious angel, Mary Joy.

Any mother knows my pain. Our children’s safety is what we pray about daily. Getting that call on May 16th as I worked on report cards at my classroom desk was the most terrifying moment in my 43 years of living. I am so grateful to those that comforted me and Mary Joy in prayers that very moment. I can’t describe in words how I’ve felt such peace all around me.

It’s really indescribable. I know it’s Jesus! I know it’s Mary Joy, my angel. I know it’s because thousands of love-felt prayers to bring me comfort and peace were being prayed. God answered those prayers. I felt His presence all around. It’s what kept me standing. It’s what has led me to great acceptance that God needed my daughter right then and there to have an everlasting life. Her love will continue to live because it’s my job as her momma to carry that love and kindness on for her.

I will live like Mary Joy all the days of my life until I’m greeted into Heaven, that’s where I’m going, by my beautiful smiling angel. I pray God uses her to lead this whole wide world to a more peaceful, united togetherness like we’ve never felt before. It starts right here with ALL of us doing our part to try to be better human beings and love one another despite our differences. Please pray for world peace, please pray for ALL those who do not know God, that they will have faith and know that HE is our Lord, our Savior, our Salvation, and HE loves us with everlasting love.

I pray that you hear all about my Mary Joy near and far and that you strive to be like Mary Joy in all that you do. Be humble, be selfless, be kind! Love thy neighbors! Spread JOY! I looked to the sky on graduation night, and God gave me the most beautiful sign. I feel peace in knowing that Mary Joy was there, and Mary Joy is with us all in spirit. 

Thank you, Lord, for the greatest blessing this momma could’ve ever been given the privilege to have on this side of Heaven. HE gave us an angel. She was living and walking amongst us the whole time! In the past few days, I’ve seen lots of things my girl is still doing. She’s shown me. Live like Mary Joy in all that you do! Bring merriment (Mary in the name of Mother Mary) and JOY to ALL people. Find ways to give and love selflessly…little acts of kindness every day can make a great impact. This world needs peace. It’s our job to come together to help each other every day.

If you haven’t been to church, find one. You are certainly welcome at Holy Family Catholic Church in Lanett, AL (on Eastern time). God is Good ALL the time. And please play Taylor Swift for Mary Joy. She is the greatest American female poet of all time. Make those friendship bracelets! Everyone needs a friend. Mary Joy had the best of friends. Lord knows I’m so grateful for that. Love to you all.

To the 2024 Senior Class:

Thank you to all the wonderful friends and family at Troup High School. Thank you so very much for your prayers and support. Mary Joy is with you all in spirit. Your graduation was a remarkable celebration of all your hard work and perseverance. Be happy! God has good things in store for you all. Trust in HIM in all you do. I will be a light of hope and joy for my baby girl. She is the JOY of my life. She would want you all to smile and be happy that you’ve graduated. Thank you for saving a seat for her on that stage where she belonged as a distinguished honor graduate. Go and serve the Lord y’all in everything you do. Be humble, be kind, be everything that my Mary Joy was to others. She loved all people! Be a light of JOY to others! Everyone needs an act of kindness. Find someone every day whether it be a friend, family member, neighbor, or stranger and do something to bring them JOY. 

If you will, you know how much my baby girl loved Taylor Swift and her beautiful way with words, play it for her. She would pull down the driveway in her white jeep, and I’d hear the T. Swift music from the kitchen window. I knew it was MJ making her way home. She dreamed of attending a concert, and she went to the movies with her best friend, Susannah Lynn, to be as close to one as she could.

Taylor Swift, if this reaches you, I’ve had Mary Joy’s playlist titled, “Mother Taylor Most High,” that’s filled with only your songs, playing daily. Write a song about this beautiful sweetheart. To know her is to love her. Keep singing, everyone. Music helps us feel all the emotions of life. Pray that Mary Joy’s beautiful soul is dancing on streets of gold in Heaven above. Pray for Hadilee Arnold, Mary Joy’s precious friend since pre-k, that she will have complete healing and restoration. 

I want you all to know that Mary Joy wrote her own story through poetry. There will be more to come on exactly what I mean for I too just discovered this gem. I plan to share it with the world. It’s quite remarkable! She wrote a book of poetry for her college English class under the direction of her favorite teacher, Leilani Rudd. This particular story was the only one that Mary Joy wrote in collaboration with her dear friend and senior, Carlie Montgomery, and I decided you should all get the pleasure of reading it now. It’s titled, “Sincerely, Class of 2024”, and it is the last poem in her beautiful book. Below is the excerpt taken directly from the Dedication page:

“In my last poem, a collaboration with one of my dearest friends Carlie Montgomery, we reflect on senior year. We decided to start in the month of August, with the first senior event, senior portraits, or better known as cap and gown photos. Throughout the poem, Carlie and I go through the fall months, and into the spring semester, stopping to highlight significant events. When writing this poem, I teared up because the last four years of my life have been lived at Troup High School. Many of my memories here have been excellent, others not so much; nonetheless, all of my memories here will be remembered for life.” Mary Joy Moosman

Sincerely, Class of 2024 

by Mary Joy Moosman and Carlie Montgomery

On the way to take cap and gown pictures in August

We never thought the time would come

Wore our senior shirts on the first day of school

We were so ready for that moment

Walking into school on our last first day

Nothing could have prepared us for that day

Finally being in that front row of the student section

Oh how we waited for that moment

Gunshots echo at the biggest rivalry game

We’ll forever remember the sound

Fun gatherings in the fall months

We’ll remember these times

Supporting our friends at every event

We’ll miss this in a few months

Starting our last semester as a Troup Tiger

This will bring tears to our eyes in May

Rushing to schedule all of those senior activities

Pictures, skip-day, pranks, olympics, school-walks

Holding on to these last weeks as a high schooler

Four years of memories

Some miserable

Others unforgettable

As graduation comes racing at us with increasing speed

We savor these times spent with our classmates

We’ll cry as we walk across that stage

Oh how freshman us could not wait for the moment

We know once the time comes

Once that diploma reaches our eager hands

We’ll look back on our high school years

Some more emotional than others

Nonetheless

Sad to see it come to an end

We’ll smile at those we may not have been very close to

Suddenly we’ll appreciate them a little more

Class of 2024

We may have thought the time would never come

Now seemingly time will not slow down

Remember being on the way to take cap and gown pictures in August?