i just found out our friend jim died yesterday. he'd been gravely ill for some time, tho he still turned up at mtgs, wearing a surgical mask to protect him from all our germs, just as outspoken as ever.
i will sure miss that sweet, crabby old man & the twinkle in his baby blues. he helped desperate & despondent men & women find a different & better life. he was doing the vital work we learn we must do... we learn we must, then we find we love it! for what could make a soul feel more useful than bringing hope to someone who's given up?
jim did it all the time, in the mtgs, at the prisons, everyday & every night. he didn't think about being inconvenienced. he just did it.
one time brian confronted jim about all the political stickers he had plastered on his truck, right alongside his fellowship sticker. "that's violating the traditions," b said. "'we have no opinion on outside issues.'" tempers flared big time, but right away, jim took the felloship sticker off his truck. nothing's more important, he knew, than being an example of our "program of attraction." to mix it w/politics possibly could upset & therefore prevent a dying person from finding rescue.
jim was someone i never would've met if it weren't for the fellowship. i was grateful to be able to love that old man, & he loved me, too. those who understand "how it works" know everything besides finding daily relief from our potentially fatal malady is an "outside issue." old, young, rich, poor, atheist, hindu, conservative, communist, black, brown, white, gay, straight: if you be similarly afflicted, you're welcome to attend.
we are a "strangely assorted crowd," "wrecked in a common vessel" & saved from hell on earth. jim knew that, & shared his experience, strength, & hope til the end. i sure will miss him, but i'm sure glad to have known him at all.
1 comment:
This is truly a sad passing. Jim was one of a kind. A real character. I loved the old guy, but I also thought he was certifiably nuts. He'd give the same rambling pitch every time he talked, he went on far too long, and he had a wild look in his eyes that some saw as a twinkle. LOL!
I loved him, though. Jim and others like him are what make this program so rich and makes us want to go to meetings to find out what's going to happen next!
He had a strong message about turning his will and his life over to the care of a God of his understanding. He was a book thumper. He was a gratitude pusher.
He was maddening, wonderful, colorful, kind, and willing to go to any lengths.
I remember visiting him in the hospital one time. Jim loved signs. There were signs all over the outside of his door warning us not to come in if we were going to whine.
Peggy and I had our picture taken with him. Us masked and gowned to keep from infecting him. There were pictures all over the room of his visitors.
A great, great guy. He will be missed.
Linda A.
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