Blessings, Big Brother!

A couple week-ends ago, Jim and I shared a long walk in the park. I had my cell phone and two laps at South Lakes Park here in Denton. He had an empty house and an hour to visit. We talked about every thing and talked about nothing. Every time I have talked with Jim in the last year or so, I never knew if I would have another visit. I guess that one will go down as my last. It was a nice visit.
I have been thinking about Jim and Cec and Jon and Natalie a lot since I got the email Saturday night after getting home from Tyler. I doubt I have learned all the lessons Jim tried to teach me with his life and example, but I have narrowed down a few.

You can self-actualize at night. Jim spent may years working in the oil fields. He worked long, hard hours doing tasks that were not creative or glamorous. I kept trying to find a way to combine my passion for people and my employment. Jim worked hard and then spent his non-work hours with his family, his church, and his passions. He played on a softball team for a while with some special needs adults. I was there for a game one summer when my work took me to Dickinson. Now, I work in front of a computer all day and build my life outside of work.

Never stint on quality. I remember thinking how extravagant it was to buy a new car when they first bought the Honda. After countless trips to Billings and back, the car still has miles left. You get what you pay for, so pay wisely.

The work still needs to be done. Back when I was young and foolish, I felt the need to be baptized at high school camp one summer. It was a powerful experience. Only later did I find out that while I was driving down to talk on the phone with Mom and Dad about it, Jim and Gary Pogue spent a lot more time in the snow-fed stream than I even thought about up to their waists, clearing enough rocks for those few of us being baptized that day. The creek was great for floating, but not for full head-to-toe dunking without some TLC.

I usually say it this way, “We share a birthday.” or “We are twins, but I was two years late.” You led the way on our birthday, Jim, and now you are leading the way again. You faced this cancer with grace and confidence in the God who is beyond the confines of time and mortal life. We can all look at the next step with more confidence knowing how you faced it.

I see two images melding in my mind. At the end of C.S. Lewis’ The Last Battle, the players in the final act, step from one world into the next, into a limitless space where they climb higher and higher to find the next great adventure. The other picture is Jim in his senior picture in the Rocky annual. (At least the way I remember it.) He is walking out of the music building (Losekamp) carrying a violin case, wearing a cool coat, a funky hat, and a head of curls. He never played the violin, but is was a great picture to bring smiles to all. So I see Jim carrying an empty harp case on a brisk walk to somewhere with a big smile on his face because he knows the joke. Bless you Jim as you join the great cloud of witnesses on the next big adventure.