My sister Ann and I were the only two kids of my parents, Jim and Bonnie Bowden. Even so, we grew up thinking we had three brothers. Cousins Tony, Tom and Jimmy were our protectors and they treated us like their little sisters.
Tony and Tom both passed away some years ago. Yesterday, Jimmy went to join them.
We’ve never stopped missing Tony and Tom. Now another piece of our hearts has dropped away.
Jimmy came to stay with us for a while when he was older. Since my dad’s name was Jim that would mean too many Jim’s in the house, so we dubbed Jimmy; Jimmy James. To Ann and I, he was Jimmy James forever. He became a big part of our lives and easily fit right into our group of friends.
I remember one night, we all went to a friend’s house whose parents weren’t home.
We were good little Baptist kids, so none of us drank. There’s always one in the group though. One boy brought with him a bottle.
After a while, the kid started yelling that his booze was gone.
I noticed Jim was sitting quietly with a grin on his face.
“What did you do with it?” I asked him.
Still grinning, he said in his familiar southern drawl, “I poured it on down the commode.”
Jimmy always looked out for all of us. We never doubted how much he loved us. We knew for sure by the way he treated us, but also because he repeatedly told us that he loved us.
Tom and I went to see him in Arkansas last fall. As frail as he was by then, he still had that spark of humor. We had some laughs and some remembrances together that day.
He loved his family and they made him proud. He was blessed to have Penny as his wife and his caregiver. We so appreciated the love she showed in caring for him.
I’m so glad I had that one last time with our beloved Jimmy James.
After living for a remarkable 10 years with stage four cancer, he has earned his rest.
I’m sure that for Jimmy James, life is good today. ■
