Hey Jim,
My name is James Sullivan and am a friend of Woody's in Denver and felt inclined to contribute to this blog. I actually only met you once. It was on a hike in CO a couple years back (the picture actually listed below in the snow), and was a brief occurrence, but felt like I knew you so well in that small time frame coupled with many discussions with Woody about you. That afternoon in the snow was such a revealing one because as my wife and I slowly walked on the snowy trail with our daughter, you were as playful as I have seen a father with his daughters and it was an amazingly refreshing sight to see. It was obvious (even to us strangers) how in love you were with your family and that they trully brought you joy...and you could see that exact joy coming from your daughters being with you. As a father of daughters as well, there is no greater thing than knowing that you can create that joy for them and it seemed easy for you. As we parted, it was obvious to see the unconditional love that you had for your girls as you playfully threw Lauren on your shoulders and started skipping (like a 12yr old) down the trail with her.
In addition, I understand that you are the reason why Woody now considers himself a Marathoner, and now Woody is the reason why I just signed up for my first Marathon. Through the many stories that Woody has told me about you, it was frequent that you were great inspiration for Woody (even outside of running), and as I read down the blog entries, it is easy to see that Woody was not the only one. I feel like I am only a small portion of the ripple effect that you caused with your life, and am fortunate to be a part of it. Thank you for that impact. You are changing people's lives. Even a stranger like me.
You are the man!
James
My name is James Sullivan and am a friend of Woody's in Denver and felt inclined to contribute to this blog. I actually only met you once. It was on a hike in CO a couple years back (the picture actually listed below in the snow), and was a brief occurrence, but felt like I knew you so well in that small time frame coupled with many discussions with Woody about you. That afternoon in the snow was such a revealing one because as my wife and I slowly walked on the snowy trail with our daughter, you were as playful as I have seen a father with his daughters and it was an amazingly refreshing sight to see. It was obvious (even to us strangers) how in love you were with your family and that they trully brought you joy...and you could see that exact joy coming from your daughters being with you. As a father of daughters as well, there is no greater thing than knowing that you can create that joy for them and it seemed easy for you. As we parted, it was obvious to see the unconditional love that you had for your girls as you playfully threw Lauren on your shoulders and started skipping (like a 12yr old) down the trail with her.
In addition, I understand that you are the reason why Woody now considers himself a Marathoner, and now Woody is the reason why I just signed up for my first Marathon. Through the many stories that Woody has told me about you, it was frequent that you were great inspiration for Woody (even outside of running), and as I read down the blog entries, it is easy to see that Woody was not the only one. I feel like I am only a small portion of the ripple effect that you caused with your life, and am fortunate to be a part of it. Thank you for that impact. You are changing people's lives. Even a stranger like me.
You are the man!
James
I am an old swimming friend of Jim's from the New england Barracuda's days and wanted to share by best wishes for Jim and his family & friends.
ReplyDeleteFrom my memory Jim is a great person, always fun and fair. I am proud to have shared time with Jim as both a competitor and team mate. He always brought out the best in me and others.
Douglas Tobiason