McDonalds' Drive-thru Window

One of the funniest memories of Jim was when we were at the drive-thru window at McDonalds. We had ordered 2 shakes. The girl brought one to the window ledge, sat it down and went to make the other one. While she was gone, Jim took the shake and sat it in the car. She came back with the 2nd shake, saw the 1st one not there and just shook her head and went back to make another shake. While she was gone, Jim put the shake he took, back on the window ledge. She came back and now had three shakes. She was so flustered and saying, 'I do not know what is wrong with me'. Jim said 'I only ordered 2 shakes, but I'll take that 3rd one if you are just going to throw it away.' Of couse, she gave it to him. You had to be there, but is was so funny and Jim kept such a straight face.

Anytime we went to a restaurant, the first thing Jim would do is order a large drink and then tell the waitstaff to keep his drink full and that the tip would reflect it. And he always tried to talk them into something free or an extra portion. He had this whole routine. I used to get embarrassed but learned to get over it. He was a very big tipper. I liked that about him. Extremely generous.

Emily's Bike Memory

Today Emily got a new bike. She is between a 16" and a 20" so we got her an 18". She was riding her bike and she said that when her Daddy had just taught her how to ride without training wheels, she had a wreck. He was telling her that he was proud of her and that he didn't get his training wheels off until he was 8. She also took both feet off the pedals and said 'Look. This is what Daddy used to do all the time.'

Anyway, I told her that I was writing down my memories of him so I wouldn't lose them and she wants to do the same thing. This is one of hers.

Memories

"When you lose someone," says Dr. H. Norman Wright, "what you have left basically are the memories. At first they're so sharp that they hurt. In time those memories begin to dull. They diminish. That in itself is another loss that you have to go through. In writing about it, you don't lose those memories. They're always there in black and white."

For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you" (2 Corinthians 2:4).

Lord, give me the discipline and the courage to sit down and write out special memories about my loved one - James Minich. Thank you, Jesus, Amen.

The above passage was taken from my GriefShare daily email. As the one year anniversary of Jim's death approaches, I feel that it is time to start documenting the memories I have of him. I as so afraid of forgetting them and I want to be sure Emily has them all.

Today's memory is that I came home from work one day and Jim had replaced all the toilet seats. He didn't tell me he was doing it, he just did it and surprised me. I was always complaining that the seats are cold. I don't like the cold. So I got a soft, cushiony seat in my bathroom and in the hall bath. Emily got a really cute one - blue (Jim's favorite color) with fish and dolfhins on it. I came home and didn't notice it until later that evening. I was so ecstatic. He loved it when I thought he was the coolest.