Another Loss

Dear All,

I have pics and other things to pass on to you and to put on the blog but something has come up that has taken priority.
Please pray for me to have strength with yet another loss. In fact, have not been in touch with my feelings since it happened. I think today I am starting to feel. Jim, my landlord (not really a landlord but like a second DAD to me), passed away on Tuesday morning. I have lived in this house since 1989 and he has been there through all my ups and downs. Through my tears, heart aches, and joys and accomplishments. We have seen many miracles in this house. We almost lost him many times. Exactly two years ago he got very sick. He came home from Rehab with two weeks to live. He couldn't eat, drink, move, or talk. God did a miracle. Through prayer of many for Jim and the love of family and friends Jim got to a point where he was walking on his own, talking and even about feelings, traveling (even to Bonaire), going out shopping, etc. When he first came home I spent lots of time with him as I helped to care for him in especially in the mornings. I helped to get him ready for the day and we had to pray a lot because it was very challenging in many ways. Mary and I were a great team with God as our coach. Jim brought so much joy to all of us. He is a very special man and gave me so much love. Every day there was Jim to say Good Morning to me as I was leaving for work he would always invite me for Breakfast and when I said I had to go and would always ask, "ARe you going to BWH?" Bring me back some ham. He would always want to show the rainbows in his room which he spent all day counting. He would ask how many I could see and we would count them together. His favorite song was, "You are my Sunshine" and another one about a Nasty Baby which we did not like him to sing but he really liked. He would play the harmonica even when he couldn't do much else. Always was listening to Hillbily at Harvard on Saturday am and Sunday morning counry on Sundays. He wouldn't miss it for anything. He always had music on and quite a variety. I will miss his calling out hello in a special way everytime I entered the house. I almost always would stop and at least say hi. He also invited me every day for dinner which over the last year I have not been able to join as much. He has been slowly going down hill. The last three days before he passed away he declined very quickly. Since he has popped back to health usually I didn't think too much of the decline. When he was so sick two years ago and what I have gone through with my dad, I have learned that our lives our clearly in God's hands. He knows when He is going to take us. I used to go to work and Jim was in really bad shape and I was sure I was going to come home to no more Jim. But he would be much better in the evening. Some days he was good in the morning and not in the evening. I learned that I could not live on that rollercoaster. Can't go planning one way or another. This time he was getting ready for his annual trip to Bonaire, but God took him before. He passed away peacefully. I had a special moment with him a few hours before just like the special moments I had with my Dad. The day before Jim passed away his eyes were shut and he was not coherent. He responded with his mouth a bit while putting water swabs in his mouth. Nodded head a bit. His body was very cold. We got oxygen which warmed him up a bit. I was sure that he was not going to be with us in the morning when I woke up but he was. I went into his room to say a quick good morning Jim on my way to work. As I said Good Morning he unexpectedly responded and opened one eye and then the other trying to communicate. I got to say some words to him and pray with him and asking God to take him without a struggle or suffering. It was a precious moment (few other family members were around) that I will not forget. My last moments with Jim. I got a call mid day that he had passed away. I have lost two dads in the matter of 6 months. The service will be on Sunday at 2pm at the Unitarian Church at Warren/Walnut streets right near our house. Thanks for your prayers for us at this time. The house is quite different with no Jim and no Mary (his caretaker who lived upstairs with me for two years). Pray for Harriet his wife of 58 years and their 5 daughters and families. I am thankful for my new housemate who moved in February 1st. Perfect timing. God knows exactly the timing of everything in our lives. Don't understand the timing of Jim's passing, but God knows why it is now. He has been such a blessing in my life and I will always have found memories of him. Thanks for many of you who have been praying for him these past years.

For His Glory,

Ruth