On April 1, my brother, James Hagney, 60, of Thomaston, passed away.

I got the call from his group home that morning, and although he was unhealthy at that point, with advanced emphysema from smoking, I was still shocked in that moment.

Because of the extreme challenges in life he experienced and presented to others, there is I admit some relief that I feel, but there is mostly grief from losing a family member. Like most families, I imagine, my original nuclear family all loved each other, and now only I remain. This may seem like a “downer”, but as we all know we’re here on earth for a while and then move on to another plane, I believe. At night in dreams my family re-appears, so perhaps that’s part of the saying that we keep our loved ones in our hearts for ever more.

Jim lived his life on his own terms perhaps as much as most of us, so I can see what could be his biggest strength in that. No matter what happens in life, each of us helps shape others’ experience of it, and so contribute to our own strengths as well.

RIP James.

- Tim Hagney