Remembering Jim

My friend, Jim, passed away this past Wednesday.
I just returned from the church where his showing was held. It was packed with folks who adored this man and his family. On the screens in the front of the church flashed pictures of he and his family in Disney World from this summer. Cute ones and funny ones. And then images from Jim and his family that I had taken at my house less than three weeks ago. (See the 9.20.08 blog entry.) Lots of them. I was glad to have been the one who photographed them. Some of them made me laugh, thinking about what a hard time he had given me that day or how he poked or pinched one of his kids, or prentended not to want to cuddle up with Diana. Most made me smile, and some brought tears-how tender he looked and how happy they were. He was such a big teddy bear-it is so hard to comprehend how such a short time ago, he had walked around looked so healthy and happy.
It was wonderful to find out how much Jim had loved the pictures. I learned that he had picked up the cd of pictures immediately after I called him and took them to a party in his honor just a few hours after they were taken. They also told me tonight that during the short time he was conscious in the hospital, he was able to see one of the family prints and loved it. They kept it in his room. Knowing he liked those images makes me really happy.
As we arrived at the front of the line, I hugged his wife, Diana, closely and she thanked me several times for the pictures we had taken just two days before Jim got sick again. She didn't have to say much-I understood how important those pictures are to her-the very happy and healthy looking Jim, with his arms around his wife and kids, smiling. Priceless. They would be important to me as well. And I smiled a bit and squeezed her closer, with tears pouring down, thankful to have done something meaningful for her. Something to be cherished.
My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends, as he will be greatly missed.
Thanks for visiting!
Cheers!