All Things Brittany Is Very Sad Tonight...

Many of you personally know or know of our dear friends Jim and Julie Harris who own and love Sassy and Bullet. It is with deep sorrow, grief, and sadness that I must write tonight of Jim's untimely passing on Tuesday afternoon. And all of All Things Brittany is very sad tonight.

We are sad because Jim Harris will no longer be on the other end of the phone, picking up out in the garage while Julie and I have a conversation, no more jokes to make me blush, and no more words of encouragement when feeling a little unsure.

We are sad because Bulletman and Sassy will wonder where their 'daddy' is. We are sad because Julie and Jim have been robbed of the joy of sharing their retirement years together doing all those things they love to do together and with their Brittanys.

We are sad because in Jim Harris we found a wonderful, generous, loving friend who would give you the shirt off your back. Jim cared deeply about his friends, family, home, and most especially about Julie and the dogs.

Nearly 5 years ago Jim and Julie came into our lives due to the loss of their "Rosie", a beautiful 16 year old Roan Brittany who was like a child to them. Grieving and hurting, they came to us to visit ATB and meet Molly, who was going to have pups. I will never forget that day and neither did Jim. He, Julie, and his daughter came through the door to be met exuberantly by several of our Brittanys. One of them was named "Rosie" and of course Molly was there too. They immediately dropped to their knees and it was all about the dogs, we were informed we could leave if we wanted to and there was no question a mutual love of Brittanys ignited a friendship that has impacted our lives.

Jim and Julie would come and spend the weekend with us here from time to time and it was always so much fun. Lots of good food and fun was involved and of course quality time spent with the dogs. Sassy became part of their lives and Jim and Julie became part of ours. In a couple of years Bullet joined their family and by then our friendship had grown so very much. It was not just a friendship between Julie and me, but it was a four square friendship between all four of us. We did a lot of things together those early years but little did we know how quickly things would change.

Involved at many levels with the Brittany club, we worked together on events such as Meet The Breed, Fun Day, Field Trials and more. We enjoyed a hunting expedition together and also had fun at a sporting goods auction. I would go up and stay at Jim and Julies a time or two. And I was always treated like royalty, as Jim and Julies hospitality was outstanding. Jim proudly bragged about Julies cooking and specifically her home made shrimp cocktail. Whenever at their house, or if they came here or even if Julie and I were headed off to a show somewhere - Jim always sent along shrimp with Julieis homemade shrimp cocktail sauce. We enjoyed going to restaurants together and liked a lot of the same foods. Our friendship just was meant to be, with little effort, it simply was. It simply was from God.

Over the recent years though Jim's health began to decline and no one really knew for sure why. But it was so sad to see this vitally healthy and vibrant man begin to literally go downhill. Julie saw it on a daily basis, we only saw it occasionally but it did effect us too because instead of it being Jim and Julie together, usually Julie had to come by herself. Which was fine, we always have fun but still, Jim was definitely missed.

This summer at a dog show Julie was summoned home with the news Jim had gone into the hospital. Up and down, reports, tests, in and out of the hospital and then back in. John, Sam, Pam, and Gary had spent a weekend up to their home to help get ready for winter with some necessary chores and home repair. Jim was that weak, he couldn't do the things he wanted to do. Days turned into weeks turned into months turned into - TODAY.

The last time I saw our dear friend Jim was in October and he had lost so much weight I cried all the way home. The other things too, Jim was in pain all the time due to the health issues he was dealing with. My heart went out to him just knowing things were spiraling out of control for Jim and Julie.

When you love a friend as deeply as we love Jim and Julie it is so frustrating not to be able to do anything to make things better. (Our friends Sam and Pam shared this too and have tried to be a life line for Julie.) We have prayed and asked others to pray and we will continue to pray now.

I have to say though I am so thankful for the time that Jim Harris has been in my life and in John's. We will continue to be here for Julie and I cannot imagine what this must be like for her. Oh that this would be a nightmare that she could wake up from. But it's not.

My heart hurts so bad as John and I grieve the loss of such a good friend. I am so so sorry for Julie. She is one of the kindest, gentlest and sweetest people I have ever known. Their time together was cut short. Jim had retired and they both looked forward to spending their years together enjoying their dogs and all the things they loved to do with them and each other. Some things are so not fair.

Faith comes into this as does prayer. And sometimes I sure cannot understand the mysteries of God when it comes to things like this. This is a real shock....

I just wanted to share this tonight or actually at this point it is this morning. I hope you'll remember Julie in your prayers. Thank you for being there, and remember to never ever take one moment for granted concerning those you love from one day to the next, or from one year to the next. Treasure each and every moment you have together because all that we really have is right now today, God is the only one who knows about tomorrow. Love and God Bless, John, Ann and ATB