Jim
(This was written upon the death of one of our students)How do we remember Jim?
Curiosity: Jim liked to explore things. he did this as he walked to program. He did it when he thought no one was looking. He looked into boxes, under chairs, in the closets and when he found something, the smallest of things, a pencil! small figurines! a calculator! a piece of paper to write on! What a smile! Enough to melt your heart.
Eagerness: Jim was always ready to be helpful. He became very eager at the idea of going on an outing, to the pool, the pond, the river, sled riding, a snowball battle, shopping, for a ride, to pat a dog. Eagerness was a part of all of Jim's life. All of his life. Except work. Jim truly did not like to do "work", but then, who among us really thoroughly likes to work every single day of our lives.
Excitement: Jim became excited when he saw his friends, when he remembered someone's name, when he did his work correctly, when he went swimming, when he sledded "all the way down", when he had Vienna sausages with BBQ sauce and chips for lunch, when he got hit with a snowball, when he had his own special scented pens to write on his own pads and when he talked to his very special friend Mo. When he was excited his eyes and nose squenched up and there was that great laugh and hands rubbed together in glee.
Mischievousness: Where is my pen? Why are the magazines spread all over the room? Didn't I just have an important paper in my hand? Wasn't my lunch just right here? Didn't I just turn that tape player on? Why is the closet door closed an I hear someone giggling? Because Jim is part of our lives. And when he was caught: That smile again!
Jim wasn't with us for long but in the time we knew him we all grew to love him whether you wanted to or not. He had an irresistible impishness and devilment about him that made you mad, made you giggle, made you very glad to know him, made him a part of your life. All of these things have made our loss horrible. A part of each of us has been lost forever, a part each of us wants back. The only thing that makes all of this acceptable is that we still can see and hear and love Jim in our own special way. We all remember the squenched up eyes and nose, the hands rubbed in glee and especially that smile!
©1987
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