The 11th day of the month - a day on the calendar that hasn't escaped me once since April 11, 2008. Jim would be exactly 27 years and 9 months old today but instead this is the 6th month anniversary of his tragic death. Everyday I think about it, everyday I can't believe it; but, then my thoughts continually adjust... from knowing we'll no longer see or talk to Jim to the feeling that the Miami Detectives will never find Jim's killer. It pains me that Jim will never marry, never have children and never grow old and gray. Just in 6 months he has already missed so much.
Julie was with me this morning and that meant more then anything. Jim was with us, the three J's in each others presence. He held us close as we touched his ashes and shared tears about our loss. We miss that young man so much.
Please continue to think of us and pray for peace and answers.
Love, Joanne (Jim's MOM)
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Jim's garden....
I took a few pictures over the weekend of Jim's completed garden. It is sad to me that it is almost time to put the garden to 'bed' for the season. And, it makes me anxious that the Spring will bring growth and color into the garden but possibly no resolution to Jim's murder.
We miss Jim each and every day and some moments are much tougher then others. We appreciate your continued love and prayers.
Love, Joanne & Julie
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
It was a beautiful day - thank you!
I would like to thank all of you who came to see Jim's garden this past Saturday.
For those of you who couldn't make it, please plan to stop by another time. It is such a lovely garden, so peaceful and comforting.
Several of you either made or brought garden stones on Saturday. Jim can be found in each and everyone of them. They make me smile and they make me cry. They are wonderful.
Thank you Lisa and Gail for the 'tin red roses' - so many memories, so very perfect.
With Love, Joanne & Julie
P.S. Please check back soon to see pictures of the complete garden.
For those of you who couldn't make it, please plan to stop by another time. It is such a lovely garden, so peaceful and comforting.
Several of you either made or brought garden stones on Saturday. Jim can be found in each and everyone of them. They make me smile and they make me cry. They are wonderful.
Thank you Lisa and Gail for the 'tin red roses' - so many memories, so very perfect.
With Love, Joanne & Julie
P.S. Please check back soon to see pictures of the complete garden.
Friday, September 12, 2008
A message from Jim's cousin, Jennifer
I will always be grateful to you too for making sure Jim was here on one of my most important days. I will always remember telling him “I told your mom that all I wanted for a wedding gift is for her to fly you up here.” And him laughing and saying “Well if she’s paying im coming!”
I went to Willow Wood this last weekend for a friends wedding. The reception was held in the parking lot and as Scott and I walked up to the club house to use the bathroom I suddenly remembered standing on those steps with most of my cousins and getting our pictures taken. It suddenly dawned on me that this was the last place that I was with Jim. The last place I hugged him and told him I love him…I then went into the bathroom and cried. Willow Wood will always have a special place in my heart not only as the site of my wedding but as the last place I was with Jim. I thought about him a lot that night and Scott and I had drinks for him. I love him and miss him every day.
I went to Willow Wood this last weekend for a friends wedding. The reception was held in the parking lot and as Scott and I walked up to the club house to use the bathroom I suddenly remembered standing on those steps with most of my cousins and getting our pictures taken. It suddenly dawned on me that this was the last place that I was with Jim. The last place I hugged him and told him I love him…I then went into the bathroom and cried. Willow Wood will always have a special place in my heart not only as the site of my wedding but as the last place I was with Jim. I thought about him a lot that night and Scott and I had drinks for him. I love him and miss him every day.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
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 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)Monday, August 11, 2008
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
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
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
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!
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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
