A Treasured Childhood Friend - Jamie Reese
Everyone can always think back to that one childhood friend whose adventurous spirit sparked your imagination. Jamie Reese was that great friend of mine.
Jamie and I often spent time riding bikes, building forts that were always ruined by the boys in the neighborhood, and playing vicious card games of Pounce! Perhaps my favorite childhood memory of Jamie was when we played a game called "Treasure Hunt". This was Jamie's brainchild. We would fill Sucret's tins with little trinkets. Then, we would hide or bury the box. Intricate maps to locate the treasure were then drafted for the other person. The contents of the box never truly mattered. The quest to seek and find the treasure proved to be the greatest prize of all.
An adverture gone awry...
I can't remember at what point
Jamie had told me about Girl Scouts. However, her troop went on a trip to Niagara Falls. That sounded most intriguing to me. So, the following year, I signed right up for Girl Scouts! My sole purpose: securing a spot on the trip to Niagara Falls. I could almost hear the mighty waters calling me! Unfortunately, my Girl Scout leader's sense of adventure wasn't quite up to the same level as Jamie's. My entire year was spent on bicycle saftey. The culminating event - a bike ride down the Vestal Parkway! Big whoop! Jamie and I later laughed over this. In fact, whenever I recall this event, I still chuckle.
Jamie and I continued our friendship in high school, although she was in the class ahead of me. We often rode to school with my mother and would share all sorts of stories on the way. Cheerleading was an activity we both participated in. However, Jamie's continual knee problems sidelined her from THE Competition, where we won first place. I always felt so bad that Jamie was not able to participate on that particular day. However, she lent her support to us by being there. I know that she was an inspiration to us all on that day.
Friends continually come in and out of our lives. I suppose it is just the natural ebb and flow of life itself. After high school, our paths really did not cross again. Little did I know, that when we ran into one another at a reunion in 2002, that would be our last meeting.
To Shannon, Robin and John - I want you to know how much I treasured my childhood friendship with your sister, Jamie. I am shocked by this news and feel such a great amount of sadness in Jamie's passing. To Jamie's husband - I am so sorry for a loss that I know is too great to even describe. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
Katy Hyland Graham
