On October 8, 2005, the lives of the people in my family were turned around by a tragic event with one of my other very close relatives. This man was twenty-four years old and he was one of the greatest people that I have ever had in my life. His name was Jamie Coffey and he was like my guardian angel. Even though he had bad habits like doing drugs, and drinking, he was still a wonderful person on the inside. I looked up to him and I learned from the mistakes that he made. To know Jamie was to know the welcoming smile he gave to everyone and the mean little aggravating jokes that he would make just to see you laugh. He was a great guy to everyone so he was loved by many.

When the day came that he decided that he had finished living his life, he had made up his mind. He stood in the living room of his home, put a gun to his head, and pulled the trigger. Just like that, Jamie was gone. In the blink of an eye, a single life was taken. There were no “I love yous” and there were no “good-byes”, just complete heartache, pain, and confusion. Everyone still wonders “Why?”

I really don’t think that he realized how much pain he was going to cause his loved ones. I know he didn’t because if he would have known, he would still be here with us today. Not only did he leave me, but many more people also. There was his mom and his dad, his three sisters, his grandmother, and all of his best friends and other family.

At his funeral, it was exceptionally hard for me to walk up to his casket and see him lying there; motionless, calm, peaceful, and resting. It was nice to know that he was happy but that wasn’t how I knew Jamie. The man that I knew was wild and crazy. Lying there, still and alone wasn’t where he was meant to be. He was still very young and he had a lot of life ahead of him. I had a million things in my head that I wanted to tell him but I knew that it was too late. If I had only a single wish, it would be that he could hear me at this very moment and I would tell him how much I loved him and how much I really cared.

I heard this song, and as I listened to it, it brought back so many memories. It made me remember what happened the day of Jamie’s death. So, in loving memory of James Earl (Jamie) Coffey and this tragic event, I want to dedicate “How Do You Get So Lonely” by Blaine Larson, to him and his other family members that he left behind.