From my kitchen window...I look to see where my son is.. at first I don't catch sight of him in my own backyard.. but see that he is next door playing with his friend Jimmy on the swing set.
That is the way of it.. If not at our house.. then next door at Jimmy's.
Riding bikes.. Playing with their Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or just trying to stay the heck away from the overpopulation of girls in the neighborhood...
These two could be seen together almost all the time.
Jimmy (as I knew him )was a very quiet... very polite little boy.
It took awhile.... but I finally managed to tease my way into making him smile..
(That and a mother load of treats I always kept in the house helped)
when he did finally flash a shy little smile it was worth every effort.
His life choice to become a police officer is not a surprise to me. Some days looking out that same window I could see him Marching back and forth from the swing to the back door..almost creating a path ... marching marching marching.
Even though the neighborhood was small .. the kids had certain boundaries.
You can go up to the stop sign and come right back sort of thing.. Of course my son liked to push those boundaries..up to the sign and maybe just a little past.. not far. but far enough that Jim would say NO MARTY !!! We're not allow to go there..
and he would stay firm on his bike.
Whether they were playing pirates in the pretend ship what was our wheel barrel..
Fighting over who was going to be who playing Teenage mutant Ninja Turtles.. or strapping on their Ghost busters Proton packs and fighting ghosts.
Clearing the neighborhood of any evil spirits.
Who knew for sure that one day.. Jim would go on to continue to fight and clear out evil spirits from other neighborhoods.This time wearing a badge.
No... I am not surprised Jim opted to make his life's work being The Good Guy. It was something he was born to do.
When the boys started Kindergarten together.. we mom's walked them to school.
It wasn't long before they would have to learn to make that trek on their own.
(Talk about hard thing to do UGH !)
Yet I think Amy and I had some relief knowing that they had each other to walk with... we knew they would look out for each other.
In my mind I can still see them ... both looking so darn cute...
New school clothes on..
Backpacks sagging
( In my son's case with shiny rocks..... small action figures .....and a rubber snake that he would torture the girls with later)
and Jimmy turning around waving and waving and waving.... just about every 10 steps.
Amy laughing and telling Jim it's OK.
Go on you'll be late. but he kept stopping to wave..
As they turned the corner almost out of our sight..Jimmy suddenly peeked back around the corner and with a great big grin gave his mom one last wave.
This happened everyday!
His tragic death is just too hard to comprehend...
It isn't the natural way of things for a parent to bury a child...
Mark and Amy....I am sure you are surprised that your heart keeps beating.. and that you can still walk and talk.
You ended up having to comfort the person who is supposed to comfort you. The utter inability to speak from the heartache of it all and the complete insignificance of the words "I'm so sorry. " I should know.. you did that for me that day at the funeral home.
But....Your hearts do keep beating because your work here is not done..
You have two wonderful children that need you .... and now in the midst of the most horrifying thing imaginable....
You have been blessed with a beautiful Grandchild,who will also need your love and guidance.
How strange and wonderful life is.. Death and Life Sorrow and Joy..all so interwoven.
I know your hearts as well as Emily and Peters are breaking.
But I also know you believe...that one day you will see that great smile again.
How lucky you were to have had him for those wonderful 26 years.. How lucky we all were.
Be Strong ....The next time you see him.. 
He will still be waving.. only this time it will not be goodbye.. but hello.
May God Bless you ...You are all in our thoughts and prayers
Thank You Jim..
In our hearts you are a hero.
Free Press
5 comments:
Hi Marcy,
When I first heard on Tuesday morning about this young man that had grown up and graduated from Canton I was touched by the fact that he always wanted to be a policeman and had died doing the job he loved. As the pictures and stories came in he reminded me of our Christopher who also was always using his handcuffs to lock someone up (fake...no they were not mine haha) and dishing out rules and walking the line and making everyone else toe it... Our boys were home from school yesterday and I thought it was important for them to go and see how a community comes together for tragedies like this and how we all need to appreciate and support our everyday heroes, not just the ones wearing helmets and carrying a ball. (You know how we love football and how it has taken over our life.) So we got in the car with a homemade RIP 042 sign and our Canton Chiefs flag and brought another of the boys friends who is always willing to go along. Well, the awesomeness of the outpouring of support from surrounding police communities to the long line of cars was not lost on three teenagers. As they stood by the side of the road on Beck holding their Canton flag and sign they were awestruck and touched by the presence of goodness in such a sad time. The majority of policemen blipped their sirens or saluted the boys to honor the sign for the policeman that we never knew. When the processional ended after 45 minutes the boys all stated how shocked they were at how deeply a stranger can affect so many lives. I am sorry for your friend A
my and Marc's loss and for your's too because I know that you love all kids and that if a kid was a part of your son's life your the kind of Mom that would make him part of your own...so I hope that you are holding up well and I am praying for this family. Peace friend.
RioRap..
Thank You so much for sharing how this tragic event effected you.. and for sharing how you chose to deal with this awful tragedy.
I think what you are teaching your kids is so very very important.
Respect is the ultimate.
Jim (Jimmy) was just such a great kid...He WILL be missed.
Thanks for commenting.. it means alot.
*Just wanted to show you an example of the kindess of this family.
Amy and Marc's Facebook Thank You..
Please keep this dear family in your prayers.
Amy K. Bonneau: Marcy, thank you so much for this beautiful tribute to our Jim. Marc and I held each other and sobbed as we read it. We're so proud of him as "Officer Bonneau" but we haven't been able to grieve for "Jimmy." Your memories are so dead on -- I can't believe how much you remember from back then, but it's wonderful to relive them. I wish this could... See More have been read at the church so everyone could have gotten a glimpse at the Jim we've known these 26 years. This most definitely will be put in a special place or book where Marc and I will return to read and reread it over and over again in all the years to come. I doubt we'll ever be able to read it dry-eyed, but that's good because it makes the memories more fresh and keeps him truly alive to us. THANK YOU -- More than you'll ever know. God Bless You.
Marcy,
Thank you for writing such a lovely post about Jim and your memories of him. It was touching and personal and eloquently said what we needed to hear. We love the Bonneau family and grieve along with them at this time, but remembrances such as yours offer solace. Thank you.
B. Miller
Barb.
Thank You..for your kind words
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