James Allen Harrell

one of my favorite quotes kept on my desk...it helps me breathe when memories overwhelm me & doubts flood in. the last line reminds me especially of jim & what impressed me most about his life, work & family perspective. here's to you, dear jim.

by geneen roth
"commit yourself.
tell the truth.
pain ends & so does everything else.
laugh easily.
cry easily.
have patience.
be willing to be vulnerable.
when you notice that you...

"No Other Way"
(c) by Martha Smock
Excerpt:

Could we but see the pattern of our days,
We should discern how devious were the ways
By which we came to this, the present time,
This place in life; and we should see the climb
Our soul has made up through the years.
We should forget the hurts, the wanderings, the fears,
The wastelands of our life, and know
That we could come no other way or grow
Into our good...

I am very fortunate to have had Jim involved in my life. He was a great friend as well as a wonderful brother-in-law.
When I think of Jim now,(which is often), I see him with his great smile. I hear his soft voice. I see the sparkle in his eyes. I feel his warm hugs that would greet me at the door. Perhaps the word "comforting" is the my best best discription of Jim.
Jim had a listening quality about him that I've never experienced in anyone else. If you shared your pain with...

I think of Jim constantly and miss him even more... but all my memories of Jim are such good ones, full of laughter, wonderful talks and times shared over the table with food and family. I can't express how much he gave to all around him, his community as well as his loved ones. He's an inspiration to me to always try to make every moment count, as I saw him doing day after day.

There are times when I think of Jim, when he "shows Up" in my mind, and always the thoughts are more feelings of his presence. I think that's because he had such a strong presence. It is his warmth and humor that shine through -- his compassion, his love of contemplating any idea you would bring up, his genuine care for others, his consideration of their points of view. He was truly an all-embracing guy. I so admire Jim's acceptance of life as it is, and also his desire to work for a better...

Brian Andreas is a beloved story teller. This story, written for someone else, seems applicable to Jim as well.

Listening well – for Erik
By Brian Andreas, © 2003 storypeople.com

He had the gift
of stopping time
& listening well
so that it was easy
to hear who
we could become

& that was the future
he held safe
for each of us
in his great heart

you may ask, what now?
...

I think about Jim a lot. I remember how fervently he cared about the rights of children and how impassioned he was to make the world a safer place for them. Tonight as news unfolded of a horrific case of child abuse in NJ, I was reminded how much we miss Jim...his leadership, his fighting spirit and the integrity that guided his actions.