Hello friend,
There's a beauty about real estate that allows one to participate in the chapters of peoples lives. Usually that's the start of a new one or the closing of a stressful one. This week I had the opportunity to be part of a clients final days on this planet. Given the lives we touch it was a matter of time before such a thing would happen. One never knows when or what that looks like. For me however, losing a real estate client, turned friend, is a first for me.
About 3 or 4 years ago we helped a firey old man name Jim move from California to Arizona. He was worldly man whom had traveled the world and brought a piece of it home with him at every visit. Just being in his home, seeing his items, his collections, you may as well been in a museum. He had a captivating way of telling stories of what he had done and pictures albums to show where he went. Every time I would call and talk to him I would ask, "How's Mr Jim".. without missing a beat, he'd say "Lousy!" hahah
Walking through his home he had pictures he had taken all over his wall, or even pictures turned into place-mats. One of my last memories with him was when he called me to come over to discuss some handyman repairs. As soon as I got there I could see he was definitely lousy. As we sit at his kitchen table, a seasoned old man with is walker and a coors light in the close distance we had a nice conversation. In front of me, a picture of him as a placemat, feeding a baby tiger with a bottle... damn.. what a shift of time... damn that was heavy.
We had a serious talk, not in the "im in trouble serious".. the kind that's part of life serious. Talking to each other as friends, but also as a man who's ready to go, knows he lived a full, full life, and he's ok with it. Being less than half as old as my friend I let him talk. I was soaking up the final days with a buddy.
I popped back by there this Monday to put some weather stripping in his door. I checked in on him while there, but he was fast asleep each time I checked on him. Later that evening I got a call from his special person and she informed me that Mr Jim passed that evening about 40 minutes ago.. he passed in the house I helped him purchase for his new chapter, final chapter.. and yet, the universe brought me to him again to be there on the day his story ended.
Jim had an awesome picture of a wave smashing into the rocks, cliffs really... he said as we were walking through the house, he called it a "Bodacious wave"...
Although this isn't a bodacious wave... it's the best one I've got.
I am happy I got to meet Mr Jim. I am grateful to the opportunities he gave me, asked of me, and just to be his friend. RIP Mr Jim, you will be missed. <3
For Mr Jim
