thoughts and ruminations while in exile (1 Pet. 2:11)

I met Jamie at Neptune Middle School when I was in seventh grade. He and I, along with our other close friends, Jason, A. D., and Alex were naturally drawn to one another because we all dressed the same. From that time on me and Jamie were really close friends. We spent a lot of time together throughout our middle school and high school years. Even after we graduated and I left to join the Marine Corps, we kept in touch throughout that whole time. He even came out to Hawaii for a few days to visit with me.

After I returned from being in the military, Jamie helped me get a job at Disney and we worked together at the Grand Floridian and Coronado Springs. All of this helps you see that we were much more than acquaintances. We shared a lot of our lives together, we shared many experiences together, and we have many good memories.

From all the time I spent with Jamie, what I’ll never forget about him was his positive attitude, his determination to succeed, and his generous spirit.

But of course, for anyone who knew Jamie to any degree, you know that one of his best qualities was his incredible sense of humor. As one of his close friends I have a number of stories that I could share, but there are a few that come to mind:

Since Jamie turned sixteen before me, Jason, A.D., and Alex that meant that he was the first with a driver’s license. Shortly thereafter one of our favorite hobbies was what Jamie called “playing taxi.” This consisted of Jamie driving us around simply for the fun of it, though he would gently remind us that we should at least pitch in for gas.

Jamie drove with a great deal of confidence; and he would constantly remind me that he always knew where he was going, and that he never needed to use a map. I distinctly remember on one occasion as we were driving, I asked him, “Are you sure you know where you’re going?” Jamie responded by bringing the car to a complete stop in the middle of the road, looking me dead in the eyes and saying, “Joe, I am human road map.” To this day that story cracks me up.

And of course there was the time in Hawaii when, without giving it much thought, we decided to go sky diving. Whereas the average person would go sky diving in comfortable clothing, since Jamie wanted his experience to be memorable, he decided to go in dress pants and a dress shirt. That’s not all. As Jamie was getting ready to jump out of the airplane, the instructor reminded him to put his head and legs all the way back. Well, as Jamie was coming out of the plane, his head and legs went completely forward, and it certainly made for an interesting time on his way down. We all had a good laugh when we watched the video.

Jamie was a loyal friend and a loving a father. He gave a lot of love because he received a lot of love from his family. From a young age Jamie was taught the Law of God which is summarized by Jesus in Matthew 22:37, which is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matt. 22:39). This is the Law of God; and this is what Jamie was taught. But of course, this is an impossible standard which none of us keeps perfectly all of the time.

St. Paul tells us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 6:23). So because of this, not only was Jamie taught the Law of God, he was also taught the gospel, which is the message that even though we have sinned, God sent his Son Jesus into the world to fulfill the Law and bear punishment that his people deserved. All of those who put their trust in Christ are promised eternal life.

In John 11: 25 Jesus says, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”

This is the good news, and I know that this is the message Jamie grew up hearing.

He was a very good friend to me, and I will certainly miss him. I am grateful to have known him, and I’m proud to have been his friend. And I will carry with me forever the good times we shared.