My eulogy. Today we say our goodbyes to James. My baby brother. Since the day James was born mom said I mothered him. We spent our Saturday mornings playing barbies for the first half and then Legos for the second half. Whenever we travelled north to manitoulin to visit family it wouldnt take long for mom to say take your brother outside. I would be disappointed cause I didnt get to hear all the news over tea. I had to go out and babysit him. There was this one time on the Holmes farm that we were told to go play but DONT touch the yellow wire. It was the electric fence. So of course it was the first place we went. Oh man, I could talk that kid into anything. We walked back to the house after we got bored and as soon as we walked in the door Georgina said you touched the wrong wire. Dad couldnt stop laughing. As he became a teen he struggled to find his place in the world but he never missed a home cooked Sunday dinner that included leftovers to take home. He always wanted to make sure everyone else was okay. There are a lot of stories from his friends in Windsor of the times they were kicked out or left home and needed somewhere to go. His apartment was the safe haven for many. He always told them to stay in school and to become something. Even when he wasnt following his own advice. The morning we got the call about his car crash jan 23, 2003 it was one of the longest nights of our lives. We had come to terms that if he didnt survive the injuries that it was his time and that was the path he was on... it was just that this happened first. Again James proved everyone wrong. They said he would live but... Every time they put a limit on his recovery he surpassed their expectations. When I would have my time to sit with him after the crash in the hospital I would read jokes to him. He wanted dad to tell him a story. Well it turned out he wanted dad to tell him one of billy Connolly crude jokes. When he had recovered enough to be discharged and sent home he went straight back to Windsor and got his own apartment. James went back to school and got his high school diploma. I had talked him into moving in with me in 2006 and we shared a townhouse in copper cliff for 2 years. There were moments in that time we both wished we had our own places, but those two years we wouldnt have traded for anything. In the last four years dad died and I got married and he became an uncle twice. He phoned mom three times a day to talk about what new thing he needed that he bought. Every winter mom and dad took a trip to Toronto to go to a show and nice dinner. After dad died James picked up where dad left off. Taking mom on her trip and finding somewhere nice to eat and even being the good son and sitting thru the Steven and Chris show mom wanted to see live. He admitted to me after it wasnt all that bad. Ive had my ups and downs since dad died too. James was always just a phone call away. He always wanted to help and I had to explain to him that I just needed to vent sometimes. I didnt need him to fixed it. He made sure I had everything.... And I mean everything on my list when I had David. Uncle jj wanted to make sure the kids had everything. Michael Blackburn who helped with the finances after James got his settlement from the car crash had been warned. James loves the newest technology! And he was a natural salesman. He can convince anyone that he really did needed this or that. Within about a month after he got his settlement Michael phoned me at the farm laughing said you were right. James had talked his way into buying a brand new washer and dryer. He laughed and said Cathy you warned me but it wasnt until we hung up the phone that I realized what he had done. James was so smart. We will miss his bad jokes. We will miss his phone calls. I will always have an adidas outfit for the kids and something with a skull to wear in remembrance. He knew we all loved him so much. Even in his last days he tried to tell us that he loved us too. Normally my speeches or writing convey everything about how I feel and what is going on. But tonight I dont think it even comes close. I have lost my brother, my confidant and my first best friend. The world is definitely duller without him in it.
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 04:55:24 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015