Jim IV

As a child, Jim was a laid-back individual who could be content either by himself or playing with other friends. Nothing ever seemed to bother him; he just enjoyed life as it came at him. When I would send him into the store for a quart of milk, he would saunter out about 15 minutes later and say that he couldn’t find the milk, but would have some interesting observation to make about the store.

Once when he was older, I asked him to look up a telephone number (I was forever trying to teach the children little life experiences). A loooong time later I asked him if he had found it, and he came back and asked me, “Do you know how many pages of Smiths there are in the phone book?” (To this day, when Jim is taking a long time doing something we say he is “counting the Smiths.”)

I don’t mean to imply that Jim isn’t intelligent – he’s actually very bright and anyone can see that after talking with him five minutes. He, like me, is a word-person, and he is constantly coming up with made-up words or puns. As a matter of fact, all of the children at one time or another have been addicted to working crosswords puzzles (I’m afraid they learned that from me). Sometimes if we are all on vacation together, Jim and I will buy 2 USA Today papers and have a contest to see who can get the crossword first. I honestly don’t remember who usually wins.

Unlike Ashley, Jim was an underachiever in the academic world. He was simply more interested in other things like sports, music, and friendships. So his grades, while not bad, were not up to the level that they could have been had he been more motivated in this area.

Friendships have always been a big part of his life. He genuinely enjoys his buddies, some of whom he has known for over 35 years. Making up this varied group are a lawyer, contractor, tennis pro, sculptor, minister, and realtor. People usually respond very favorably to Jim because they know that he really likes them and enjoys being with them.

Therefore, it was perhaps inevitable that he would first become friends with his wife before they fell in love with each other, but that’s another story.