A Special Thank You

To all of you dear, dear friends who took the time to write letters, cards or emailed (we received more than 1200!!!), each with a specific memory of Jimmer, Jim, the ‘Vanilla Guy,' entrepreneur, husband, father of 5 and grandfather to 4 (he got to meet 2 before passing!), and so many of you added “and his smile!." I know, he has an incredible one. 

Thank you for your prayers and actions that, at the time, were so overwhelming–and still today!- Emma and I saved each one and started to go through them again last week–wow, the tears and bittersweet joy/sorrow that we moved through–intense! But so was he! So was his life! He was a force–I always tell people that it was like holding onto a steam train–a wild, fun, powerful ride!. He had an incredible work ethic and always tried to do above and beyond what was expected of him as if with the energy of 3 people, waking up each day so excited to get going. He had an incredible voice and sang to his vanilla plants and everyone in the vicinity could hear him. He tried to help everyone, as much as he could and had a true servant’s heart and loved on everyone and shared his overflowing joy of the Lord in everything he touched. 

This community of support has been for me, for us, a tremendous act of love poured out on our family at a crucial time in our lives, and your continued support has again, been overwhelming.

Thank you is not enough, but these are the words we have been given to say to one another when a kindness is done. Thank you, thank you, thank you

I know many of you have continued to come up year after year, always checking on our family, and even though things have changed so much, you still invest in what we are doing.

We have remained now for 5 years. Can you believe it? Sometimes it seems like yesterday and sometimes it feels like 100 years. 

With my children now at the helm (click here to see who's doing what), they have given me time and space to come up and out of a long grieving period and am starting feeling like myself again, although it is a different me. I went from living at my parent’s home to being married at 21, so this is my first time being ‘alone.' Although I am never really ‘alone.' I am so blessed to have my family right by my side, some living with me and some right next door. All my grandchildren right here, wow, who could have imagined? Certainly not me. I guess I was never one to look too far into the future as I was so filled with the present that it was near impossible to go down that road to see What Would Be. This is all more than I could have ever hoped for, to be surrounded with love and support.  In the midst of his leaving, Jim was always taking care of us and he set us up for living on without him. Maybe someday I will write more in depth on this…

It is still hard for me to be at the Mill where I worked side by side with him, so you probably won’t see me there, but I do hear about your visits from our eldest son Ian, daughter-in-law Malia, or their incredible team that now does the work we used to do. I am always encouraged by each note and message passed along. Forgive me for not being a visible family member these long years, but I am hoping to create some new, that in these smaller experiences that I can once again connect with you. Stay tuned to this space for news on that front!

I will end this with another mahalo nui loa, a long overdue thank you. 

I can’t wait to see all that comes next and am trying to approach each day as Jim did, with excited expectation, singing a song boldly for everyone to hear (although I am likely to be off key), dancing a dance of joy and preparing a place to meet with you once again.

With deepest gratitude and aloha,

Tracy Reddekopp