Jimmy will be missed

There is an ongoing joke in the office about how young I am, some saying I am just a baby because they have kids my age.

Well, if I am so young I should not have to wake up in the morning to see a story in the paper about someone my age dying.

I was 5-years-old when I met Jimmy Allen, and from that point we were instant friends. We went to Head Start together in Linton, and I even taught him how to pump his legs on the swing because he just couldn't keep himself going.

I still have the preschool photo put away somewhere at my parent's house. He asked me a few weeks ago to send him a copy of it, but I forgot. Now, it's too late.

From preschool we started Linton-Stockton Elementary School together, and would go through spurts of being close friends to just acquaintances and then good friends again.

My freshman year of high school he started dating one of my best friends, which meant he was always with us because the four of us girls were constantly together.

That year we all went to his dad's restaurant, and ate Dode's pizza, on the house. He took us on a tour of some building that was being remodeled, but I don't remember what it was for. I just remember focusing on trying not to fall on the uncovered floor.

We lost contact after he started attending North Daviess High School our sophomore year, but I would frequently run into him. He always shared a smile, friendly hello and asked how I was doing.

A few weeks ago he randomly messaged me on Facebook asking how I was doing. I told him about my job, and he said things were really going good for him.

He said he had a good job and doted on his family.

Just hours before the accident he was posting in the Facebook group for our graduating class. Several of the people I grew up with were asking about kids that moved away.

Our first high school reunion is this summer, and now there will be two empty chairs. Even though Jimmy didn't graduate at LSHS, he was still a part of our childhood and would have been gladly welcomed by the rest of our class.

John's chair will be empty as well, as he passed in May of 2010 in a tragic accident. I would see him all the time in Terre Haute at the mall, but I was always too busy with school and work to hang out with him.

So many missed opportunities. We rush through life thinking "there is always tomorrow," but unfortunately two of my friends have shown me that isn't always the case.

We are guaranteed no definite time on this earth so we need to live and love like we might not have tomorrow because we never really know for sure.

I hope Jimmy's wife and children recover quickly, and take comfort in knowing that he impacted so many lives with his kind heart and warm smile.

Sabrina is a staff writer for the Greene County Daily World. She can be reached by email at swestfall@gcdailyworld.com or by telephone at 847-4487.