Nearly one year...

Our Jim was one of several young people from Meadville who passed away in 2005. We lost Jimmy on March 3rd...Shortly thereafter, a young lady named Camrie passed, only to be followed by Lenny on April 11th. Lenny's mother Linda and I have known each other for nearly 22 years...An entire lifetime of hockey at the "rink" in Meadville. Later in the summer, Betty lost her young son Chase...And Vickie and Keith lost their Shawn. So many young lives... And most of them knew each other in one way or another...Either through school, sports, siblings, or their parents. Camrie's parents are in Hawaii this week, searching for peace. On this past Monday, Kathy called and shared that she and Camrie's father placed four beautiful and fragrant blue orchids afloat in the Pacific! One, in memory of their daughter, and the other three, for Lenny, Chase, and my Jim! I will be in Florida on March 3rd for a vigil at the spot where Jimmy passed to his new life. There will be Masses for him at St. James, which is but a mile or two away, on March 2nd as well as the 3rd. On the evening of the 3rd, Leah, her mother Jackie, and I will surely enjoy one of Jim's favorite meals and then head to the beach for a Florida sunset...And I will send five white roses adrift in the Gulf...For Jimmy and his four friends eternal...Another little way to let them know how much we love them!