Uncle Jimmy

Today was an incredibly sad day, as James Howard Gann III, aka Uncle Jimmy passed away to heaven. My dad called to let my brothers, my sister, and I know and I can honestly say that we are all shocked and devasted. Sure, he's had his problems in life, including a recent battle with throat cancer, but like my dad said, "we just thought he'd live forever". It's so true. How could there be a world with no Uncle Jimmy? It just doesn't seem possible, but I guess it's reality. Jimmy came to visit us when I was in 5th grade and ended up living with us for a few years. I am so thankful we had that time with him...it was filled with so much laughter and we learned so much from him. Jimmy was my daddy's older brother (by 11 months) and there was nothing I loved more than listening to the two of them tell us stories from their childhood. They are the most hilarious stories made so much better by the two of them getting tickled as they remembered the details. He certainly had his demons, but we loved him and accepted him for who he was, and he loved us as if we were his own kids. Some of the memories that crossed my mind today...
picking him up at the Fredericksburg bus station, playing pool or horse for the dishes, playing hockey in the basement with him and my dad, he would take us fishing for blue gills way back in the woods, Mississippi Silver Peas and Khale from the garden, finding-cooking-teaching us about Morel Mushrooms, talking me into taking a big spoonful of castor oil (just to see what it was like), him knowing I would take a bite out of a jalepeno pepper with him...it was painfully hot, waving to him from my bedroom window as he left for work every morning, turning Spanish words into Ba-tee and Ben-gaso and Ba-tee yah name, snapping the cat's tail, saving Pepper from the Beal's mean dogs on his birthday in the snow, he and Daddy laughing at all the crazy stuff we did, late-night Jimmy phone calls when he just called to tell me to "be good" and "I love you, Manda", oh, and "BA-TEEE!". I love him too...I hope he knew how much. He died today....today....10 years to the exact day that my Granny passed away. I miss her today and everyday...and now they are together again. I love you both!