September 11, a day to remember Jim

Today is the 5th month anniversary of Jim's death, a day of remembrance. I don't think any one of us will ever forget what a great guy Jim was, how much fun he was to be around, how he smiled, or his wonderful laugh, and the joy he brought to every room he walked into.

I cherish the memories told to me by Jim's high school buddies (Josh, Zach, Will, Chris and Tony) - Jim the leader, not the follower as I always thought!, their countless escapades and wonderful commarderie. They remember last September when Jim was here and he told them all before he left, "Seriously, you guys, I love you."

I cherish the memories passed on to me in August when Kristen and Lisa each came to see me. They have such precious memories of Jim. The impact Jim had on their lives was extraordinary. I love both these girls so much for sharing their memories of Jim with me. I love that Jim was such a positive influence on them and that they will always remember him and know that there was only one Jim, one very special guy that they were so lucky to have known.

I love my weekly conversations and text messages with Angie. She loved Jim and misses him so very much. I have become close to Angie - I call her my daughter, she calls me mom. She has wonderful stories about her and Jim and I can't wait to go out to Las Vegas to see her and all of Jim's friends.

I have a picture of Jim and me together at Jen's wedding that I will forever cherish. My hand is resting on Jim's chest. I look at that picture and see my hand lying across the very heart that I gave birth to on January 11, 1981, and the very heart that stopped beating on April 11, 2008. I will forever be grateful that Jennifer got married last September and insisted that Jim come up for the wedding, it provided our family with the opportunity to be together and an opportunity for family and friends to see Jim alive - for many, the last time.

The work on Jim's memorial garden is complete. It has been long hard work on the part of myself and Larry but a true labor of love for me. The garden is a place of peace and tranquility. The beautiful garden stepping stones that everyone has made rest lovingly throughout the garden.

I hope all of you who can, will stop by on September 20th to see the garden. There is always room for one more garden stone so please don't hesitate to make one. I still have supplies to make additional stones, and you are welcome to make one that day. If you can't make it on the 20th, please plan to stop by another time.

I love you, Jim - I will always remember you.

Joanne (Jim's MOM)

August 11, 2008

It is very hard to believe that it has been 4 months....4 long months without his phone calls, 4 long months of disbelief, anger, and unanswered questions, and 4 long months of knowing that we will spend the rest of our lives without another Jim hug, hearing his laugh, or seeing his smiling face. It is hard to come to terms with all of this but we also know that Jim would want nothing more then for us and all of his friends and family to continue their lives knowing that he lived a wonderful life and though it was cut short way too early, he will continue to be with us and watch over us for the rest of our time.

Unfortunately there isn't much new to report as far as the case is concerned. The detectives are still working very hard to solve Jim's murder but there just aren't any updates to post right now, we just continue to pray that Jim's muderer will one day be brought to justice.

My mom has been very hard at work on Jim's memorial garden and has received many wonderful garden stepping stones. If you are interested in creating one, see my earlier post regarding where to get the kits... there will be tons of room for the stones in the garden so the more the better.

I have attached a bunch of pictures to show how the garden is progressing. The pathways between the various gardens will eventually be filled with gravel and the stepping stones placed throughout. It is really coming along very nicely and looks so beautiful.

In the picture below you will see that one of the gardens is shaped like a butterfly...something that has meant a lot to us throughout all of this. There are also a number of butterfly images throughout the garden. Also, the pond looks and sounds so wonderful. The plants are going in and soon fish will follow...something that my children are very much looking forward to, however keeping them out of the pond may be a problem. Finally, the last picture is of a piece of cement that Jim and I put our handprints in 1991. It is so wonderful that my mom still has it and that it can be included in the garden as well.

Continue praying that one day soon I will be able to post some good news....

Julie

July 9, 2008

I didn't realize that it has been so long since my last post, sorry for the delay.


Over the 4th of July weekend we headed up to northern Michigan to the lake cottage of a very good friend of ours. It was a place that Jim always loved and a place that has always been very special to our whole family. This year it was difficult to make the trip knowing that Jim would never physically be there with us again, however, once we arrived it was obvious that he was there in spirit. It is a very tranquil, serene place that has a way of setting anyone at ease and truly is an escape from the chaos of life.


While we were there we did a lot of remembering and talking about Jim. We found the spots where we had taken many pictures of him in his adventures at the lake and remembered what a special person he was. While at the lake, Jim loved to hike in the woods, drive the old Model A, use the binoculars to scope out what was on the lake, fish, go for boat rides, search for golf balls at the nearby golf course, get a nice big fire going in the fireplace, watch for the bald eagle, and just be with nature. It was a place that Jim could just be himself and take it all in.


We also celebrated the 4th by watching a wonderful display of fireworks put on each year by neighbors at the lake... it was a show that Jim would have loved. Many of those who knew Jim also knew of his love for fireworks. Growing up Jim started out scared of fireworks, hiding on the floorboards of the backseat of the car when we went to the show put on at a nearby mall. Eventually, however, he grew to love them. Every year we did our own fireworks out front of our house and it turned in to quite the display over time. It would always draw neighbors out and Jim loved it. We thought of Jim while we watched the neighbor's fireworks and as we set off small ones of our own for my kids.


While we were at the lake, we also made a garden stone to commemorate his love the place. We included many things like stuffing from the Model A, a golf ball, fish hooks, stones from the lake, a bit of burnt wood from a fire in the fireplace, and other things we found around the cottage. It turned out great and is a wonderful tribute to Jim's love of the lake. I will post a picture below of how the garden stone came out as well as the beautiful view from the cottage.

We miss you Jim!

June 26, 2008

The kids and I have completed our garden stepping stones so I thought I would share. They were very easy to do. The kids got full control over how they wanted to decorate them and ended up doing a really good job.

They need to dry more before they can be placed in the garden, but I am looking forward to seeing all of the creations every one else will come up with.

Julie

Three J's Tattoo

Not long after Jim passed, my mom and I decided that we needed to get a tattoo...something that my mom swore she would never do. It was quickly decided that it should be three interlocking J's to signify the first letter of all of our first names. We knew that we wanted it to be something that Jim would have gotten as well... nothing too girly. So we left it in the hands of the tattoo artist to try to come up with something.

We went in two weeks ago to check out what she had come up with and loved it immediately. At first glance it doesn't look like 3 J's... they are all different and much more artistic then just a simple J. We both decided to get them on the same spot on the inside of our left ankle. The tattoo artist was wonderful and we got to set out a couple of pictures of Jim while got our tattoo... just to know that he was there. Just as I did, Jim would have loved watching my mom get her first tattoo, it was so crazy to sit and watch! We have since decided that the top most J is Jim, then me, then my mom.

This is something that Jim would have loved and would have easily done with us if we had thought of it sooner. In fact, when we were in Miami and year ago in April, Jim and I made my mom stop and park so we could walk by Miami Ink. We were teasing my mom that she should make up a story and get a tattoo so she could get on the show.

It has been two weeks and we are both healed well and love our new tattoos... it just makes us feel that much closer to Jim.

Julie

Jim is so very missed

Thank you all for writing and thank you Julie for your committment to this website. It is true that we still have nothing to report to you but we do appreciate that you continue to check the website. When that day comes, this will be one of the first places where we will post. It will seem like a victory I suppose, but it will also be a hollow one. A conviction will seem like a hollow victory, too. But...it is all very much what we want.

I miss Jim so much every day. I can't believe this has happened and I can't seem to get my mind around it either. Kiss your kids and hold them tight everyday of their lives.

This weekend we will begin the true labor part of Jim's Memorial Garden. A small pond and waterfall should take shape, the current arbor will be moved and planting will begin. I will take pictures as the garden progresses and will eventually have those to share.

Please consider making a garden stepping stone for Jim's garden. It will make for a beautiful memorial to a beautiful son, brother, cousin, grandson, nephew, uncle and friend. A constant sweet reminder that we all loved him and he once was upon this earth sharing his love with us.

Jim you are in our hearts forever. Love, MOM

June 18, 2008

Jim's Memorial Garden...

My mom is creating a Jim memorial garden at her house and has some wonderful plans for it. She has received so many beautiful plants, and trees as memorial tributes that the garden is going to be huge. She is asking that anyone who is interested create a garden stepping stone in Jim's memory to be used in the garden. You can buy the kits and Michael's or JoAnn's, or just use cement to create your own. There are various different kits that come in different shapes, etc. and they are easy to use. My mom plans to create one using some shells from the beach as well as one with some of the small trinket like things we found in his apartment. You can send them to her or she can pick them up if they are local. If anyone has any questions, just let us know.

Nothing new to report on the case...

Julie