In Fond Remembrance Of My Dear Vicki, Five Years Since Her Loss

By ANN Editor-In-Chief, Jim Campbell

Hi Folks... In the last five years, you and I have been through -- and shared -- a lot. We've watched the fortunes of the aviation world come and go, we've watched much of the world around us change in some unexpected and often unpleasant ways... and we've lost some amazing friends and family members from the aviation world--the dearest of which, was to me, my once-upon-a-time friend/wife/partner, Vicki.

The passage of time does some interesting things in terms of allowing us to reconcile the world around us to the loss of those we hold most dear... but, thankfully, much of that effect is a kind one. Grief gives way to Sadness. Sadness becomes Acceptance. And Acceptance eventually becomes Appreciation for all that you loved in those that you've lost. And best of all, that much desired sense of Appreciation can often give way to Joy... in terms of the happy memories, lessons learned, and the positive direction they often give our lives as we learn to navigate the world anew.

I think I've been through most all of that... and will, undoubtedly, re-do bits and pieces of it, here and there, the rest of my life -- as required by the circumstances of the time -- but the place that I am in right now, despite the tragedy of her loss and the cruelty of those who thought to use it to hurt me, is a good and righteous place to be. And for that, I have all those of you who reached out, wrote and called to help me through these years to thank, as well as the lessons my life with Vicki bestowed on me every day since we last said our goodbyes.

So, I find myself in the most unlikely of places... at least they seem that way to me now... as I reflect back on what I felt in 2009 as the world went to hell -- and the stark differences I find between then and today.

Today/right now, I am again a very happily married guy with an extraordinary woman at my side... who I can appreciate and love all the more as a result of the lessons I learned at Vicki's side. I have never laughed so much and smiled as much as I have in the last year... and there is a part of me that truly believes that not only is Vicki responsible for many of the changes in me that made that possible, but that somewhere, somehow, she's enjoying my happiness as much as I. Over these past five years, we have also survived one of the most intensely wrong/cruel attacks we've ever experienced, at the hands of the goons/sleazeballs at Cirrus Aircraft (IMO), and are now firmly engaged on a path that is THE most exciting we have ever undertaken... and may in fact, be destined to produce some truly positive and lasting benefits for the aviation world that Vicki and I once partnered on, so closely, to try and bring about.

I have never been as positive about where we're going, and what we seem to be doing, as I am right now. And all (in part) because of the lessons I've learned and the joys I've treasured as a result of that little girl who once stood so close by me.

I am not the person I was back then. More important, I am a much different person than I expected to be... and despite the terrors of the last five years, I firmly believe that the joys that I now find in my life remain the product of the people who loved and cared about me, the friends that I have trusted to stand by me, the good work that so enriches my life, and (most of all), the profound effect that extraordinary little girl had on me.

In the days ahead, I will get back to business and have much to say, things that I have been holding close to the vest, projects to announce and some truly stunning developments to impart... but for now, let me leave you with this...

I thank you all for your support, kindness and understanding over these years. I thank you all for being a part of my life. I thank you all for the many condolences, remembrances, stories and memories you imparted to me on my way back from the dark days of August 2009...

And most of all, I thank you for your prayers for Vicki.

I imagine that five years is barely enough time for heaven to adapt to the whirlwind of Vicki's arrival as she passed through the pearly gates and the inevitable effect she has had on the hereafter. I look forward to seeing what she has done to the place when my time comes, some day.

Finally; let me leave you with the words that I wrote as I was working my West to her Memorial service a half decade ago -- words that so many of you told me were inspiring and/or comforting to you -- as I was just beginning to deal with the full impact of Vicki's tragic loss...

We all have our loves... the people we care for, the people that make our lives better, the soul with which we find kinship and solace and peace. Sometimes, as much as we may love these souls, we argue, and say wrong things and act like idiots... for which we are only too eager to apologize and make amends... if you have the chance. Don't waste a second on being "mad." Don't give in to punishing those you love for imagined or even real transgressions. Get on with your life and get on with caring for those who make your life worth a damn. Love those you can... right now... and open yourself up to all those who may come into your life with friendship, love and kinship and waste not a precious second of this journey through life because the only love, in this world, that goes to waste is that which is not expressed.

And for your own sake (and that of those who care for you), live great lives, fly as high and free as you dare, and don’t waste a moment of this gift of life…

God Bless You All, and thanks again for your love, support, counsel, and friendship.

Jim Campbell: Flyer, Vicki’s Flying Buddy/Husband/Friend/Greatest Fan -- Once Upon A Time