The Ocean Spirit 
PEACE ~ Spirit Sunday April 30, 2017 ~
Every morning during my devotion and prayer time I come to these words in which I talk to God as well as express my gratitude to Him.
I pray and reflect as I lift up the following:
**Jamie’s Spirit to fill me and her soul to rest in peace
**Thankful for the 23.5 years of Your gift and trust in us to be her parents
**Gratitude for the opportunities to share her story of life, death and hope with others
It’s a daily repetition, but thoughts so dearly important to me. Those thoughts, in my heart of hearts, I don’t ever want to forget.
In 2009 on April 30th we held our daughter as she took her final breath dying as peaceful as possible from the effects of cystic fibrosis on her 23 year-old lungs. She opened her eyes, with that last breath, as to reassure us she was going to a better place.
~Peace~
That peace was trumped for many days, months and years by the sheer and raw emotion of missing her physical presence with us.
Time does heal a grieving heart. At first I didn’t want it to. I wanted to have her memory at that arm’s reach length. But life went on and with God’s embrace holding us very tight. He gave us His word. He gave us family and friends to surround us. He carried us when we could not walk the steps ourselves. He gave us hope. He gave us a new life on Ocean Spirit…way past any joy we could have ever dreamed or imagined.
So in the coming days we will celebrate life. A life loaned to us by our Heavenly Father. We will think of our redheadedpirate (her email address) and specifically how she loved living life, including:
Belly laughs
Music
Steak, loaded baked potatoes, iceberg lettuce with shredded cheddar and ranch dressing dinners
Lake Texoma
Winston (her spoiled Shitzu)
Her truck
Friends
Family
This weekend, on our table on the aft deck of Ocean Spirit, and another in a secluded log cabin in the heart of central Illinois, simple steak dinners will be enjoyed celebrating love, life and friendship.
So here is an idea: Put on some music (preferably country!) and indulge in a steak meal. It doesn’t have to be an expensive cut of meat—though she certainly appreciated a hunk from Bob’s in Dallas or Cattleman’s in Oklahoma City 🙂
It that’s not possible we hope you will join us, sometime in the coming days, by raising a glass and toasting to Jamie.
She would like that.
Thank you for remembering her with us. We are blessed to have had her and you too in our lives.
~Peace~
P.S. We posted this a few days early as we will most likely be out of cellular range soon.
The Ocean Spirit 
Blessed to have you all in my life! I will most definitely be toasting to her joy of life and living! I think I will play some Zac Brown ” Toes in the Sand”. Life is precious and meant to be lived well. Jamie taught us that! Love to all. xo
Remembering your Jamie, a friend to my Jamie, and a sweet little preschooler in my class in DeKalb. Knowing the pain of losing a child, my heart is with you on her angelversary. Remember the love, celebrate her life!
Beautiful! Your gift of writing is amazing. As we sit and look around the cabin and it’s surroundings that Jamie so loved, there are many reminders of the red headed pirate. We were so blessed to have her in our lives.
Love and hugs from the log cabin. 😘
Dear Joanne –
I will be holding you, Jim and Jamie in my heart, especially during these next few days. Grieving takes as long as it takes, doesn’t it? You have managed to transform so much of your grief into gratitude. That take such courage, but can be so healing.
Love, prayers and hugs,
ann jackman
We have never met Your sweet Jamie but her lovely spirit is so alive and heartwarming through you two!
We will be raising our glasses, and lifting you all in our prayers in the memory of Your Red Headed Pirate
Here’s to Jamie! It was a privilege to know your precious daughter! To know her was to love her! Hugs!
Beautiful tribute to Jamie. We sure loved that redheaded pirate and I always have a flood of pleasant memories when I think of her. Most of my memories were when she was younger and lived in Illinois. One of my favorite memories was of Jamie tying a rope to her dog Jake and proceeding to have him pull her around the block while wearing rollerblades. Jamie wore a helmet, of course, and Jake didn’t seem to mind. “Jamer” definitely was a determined and an innovative free spirit. She couldn’t have asked for better parents than Jim and Joanne. They loved her with all their heart and allowed her to develop into the wonderful young woman.
Prayers of Love , Prace , and Thanksgiving. Safe cruising. Roma and I will have a party of 2 thinking of you ,Jim, and Jamie at Eyc and the times our families shared at Boathouse 21 as the sunsets on the 30th.
We will b thinking & praying for u guys!
Remembering you all with love and prayers! Safe travels! Mike and Ginger
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Thinking of you, Jim and Jamie from China. 平静 be with all of you. Have safe travels.
John
Hugs! Such a beautiful tribute to your precious daughter.
Loved reading this over and over! I’ve had you, Jim, and your redheadedpirate on my mind a lot!! I know Jamie is so proud and happy for you and this life you are living. Your beautiful words have touched so many on your journey! I hope to enjoy a steak dinner as she would this weekend and remember her. Holding you close in our hearts!
Much love from the Jones family!!
Great words! we will definitely celebrate Jaime’s life this weekend and the Joy we had with her and you all. Keep the writings coming and enjoy your trips.
Don & Susan
Again, your words have touched me deeply. Thank-you for sharing. May God’s peace reign and rain down upon you this day.
Captain D will go a step further and double that steak dinner this weekend- no problem- and loaded baked potatoes are just joy.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you today. We’ll toast to her memory and joy today.
Love, Brent & Kathleen
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Thinking of you guys and Jamie today! Lots of memories! Loved your post and know that you had a delicious steak dinner today in her honor! Love you guys, God Bless.
I grilled a steak and made iceberg salad with ranch & Ron & I toasted to the red headed pirate! With Love, Cheryl
Jim and Jo, I have been cleaning out containers of pictures over the last few days and have found many pictures of Jamie that have made me laugh and cry! She was a blessing in the life of all that knew her.
Diana
As God loves us we know that The love of a parent for their child is never ending….we will be celebrating Jamie this week. What a beautiful tribute…..
THANK YOU for your thoughts, prayers, stories, tributes, encouragement and love. On April 30th we had many laughs, reflection moments (more on that in a future blog post) and a bit of challenge experienced in the roughest night at anchor we have ever had on OS. Guess that’s not a huge surprise to those who knew Jamie 🙂 In addition, it was great fun to hear and see pictures of the steak dinners and toasts. We are so grateful to get to do this earthly life with each and every one of you!!!
Sweet, sweet ‘treasure box moment’ memories….. Thank you for sharing them and your heart with us! Jerry and I will certainly be sharing a steak dinner and a toast to Miss Jamie soon…..and, to our own feisty ‘red-headed-round-head’ Timothy who is with her! So glad our lives intersected long ago in Negril! =) Bless you and your journeys, friends! >