James' Anniversary

Two years ago last week, I lost a big Brother and a friend. … I still feel like it happened just yesterday when my Dad called me and told me that James was on a boat heading to Majuro to meet up with the rest of the WorldTeach volunteers for a Thanksgiving meal. He told me that James’ boat never showed up to the island… I was devastated, to say the least. Why did such a horrible thing happen to such a great guy? Someone who was using their time to help those who are less fortunate than us… Someone who traveled almost 6,400 miles away from home to do good work? I was angry, confused, and very upset. The worst part was that we were not there. We just had to sit here and wait for the U.S. Coast Guard phone calls. We got them twice a day for a week, updating us on the latest. We would get one call at around 3 a.m. and one around 1 p.m. Each time the phone rang we were hoping for some good news. When the called off the search, I was very angry. How could they give up on looking for my Brother?

My family was a good support in and of itself. But truly, nothing made me happier than when James’ friends were around. Everyday for about 4 months they showed up. One-by-one, or in groups. People we knew, and people we didn’t. Brandon, Craig, Luis, Doug, Adam, Chris, Brett, Daniel, Cody, Bobby, Ian, Jess, and Elise: Y’all have been true support and I can’t thank y’all enough! I have learned what friendship is supposed to be, because of y’all. James was so lucky to have each one of you in his life. So for that, I want to thank y’all! I know there are more friends that I could add to this list. Sorry if I left anyone out. The next biggest support was Mom’s friends. They were on it. I have never seen so much food in our house… ever! They would come and help me study; they would literally just sit and wait for us to tell them what we needed. They got our passports, helped mom and dad get a quick trip planned for our family to go to the Marshal Islands, and they laughed and cried with us.

Of my friends, there are a few specific people I want to thank…

·      Jon, I know I was a complete and total wreck for a while and you still stuck by my side. You let me talk this whole situation out with you multiple times while I was trying to make sense of it all. You were there to give me that reassuring hug when I needed it. You brought me through one of the most trying times of my life. Thank you for sticking by my side. I love you!

·      Jess, were to begin? You are my little sis and when I took you under my wing at SJA they told us that we were going to be the support for our little sisters… Well, the tables were defiantly turned. You were a super support and I sure am glad I have you in my life! You worried enough for the both of us! Haha! Please know that you kept me going! You made me get out of the house when things were getting to be too much. Thank you for sleeping over so that I could vent! You just being there meant a lot to me!

·      Lauren, you being with me when I got that phone call was the most important thing. I don’t know what I would have done if I were by myself. Because Mom and Dad were out of town when we got the news, you invited me to a family dinner with Granny. That meant the world to me. The fact that you, Michael, Jon, Uncle Matt, and Granny were there made me feel so good. Even though we never get to see each other anymore, you will always be that true definition of friendship to me.

·      Erin, you drove to Baton Rouge to be with me the second I called you. It meant so much to me that you would drop everything you were doing and drive an hour just to give me a hug and to be sure I was OK.

Looking back at the last 2 years, I realized how truly blessed I am. James had such a great life! He traveled, had a ton of great friends, and did things that were out of the ordinary. He never cared about what people thought of him. He welcomed any conversation coming from any person. All he cared about was living his life. Before he left to go to the Marshals, he took me to dinner. We sat for a few hours just talking about life. We talked about our plans, our wants and desires of life. I can tell you one thing; James lived. He told me that he had no plans for when he came back after his year on Arno. He said he was going to go on this trip with an open mind and when it was time to come home, then he would make plans. To me, that was my closure. He was allowing life to happen. He knew what he wanted and he went for it.

When James was in the Marshal Islands, he met some pretty cool people. James made friends everywhere he went. The other volunteers in James’ group are all so sweet. When we got there, they welcomed our family with open arms. It was truly overwhelming when we stepped off of the plane. Since our trip, we have had the opportunity to re-meet some of the volunteers. Lara, Brooke, Mandy, and Erika have all made it down to Louisiana. We hope that we get more visitors from this great group!

On James’ Island (Arno), Ken stayed extra to help with the building of the basketball court dedication for James. Todd has continued to stay in touch with us, along with Ken, to keep us posted on current events in the Marshalls. Annie and Angela, James’ field directors are both out of the Marshal Islands and seen to be well.

So… Looking at the last couple of years, I don’t want to look back and be angry or sad. I know that James would want us to just keep going forward. So, I will look at the last two years as a true blessing. I miss my Brother terribly. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of him. There are always reminders of him everywhere I go. I will always be sad about what happened, but I have to be thankful for the gift of friendship. To all of James’ childhood friends, to all of his high school friends, his college friends, volunteer friends, Chimes friends, bearded friends, Spaniard friends, current friends, and past friends, thank you for being there for James and thank you for being here for us now.