Death is a part of life. Unfortunately the two are like yin and yang; they need each other to survive. Still, just because we hear that when we are little doesn’t make death any easier. Even if that person is gone and in a better place, we still miss them and become selfish, just wishing to spend one last day with them. To tell them how we felt, what we wish we said, just to see them smile before they go. Jaimie Witcraft was that smile to many people.
Jaimie and I were friendly to each other in high school. I met her dad when I was in a play just before my 16th birthday. I will never forget how proud of a father Joe was about his two daughters, but Jaimie was different. It was like a light burst through his heart when he mentioned her name. Joe was already a big teddy bear baseball player...but with Jaimie, his heart melted into mush.
Jaimie and I would pass each other in the hallways and she would say hi and I would wave back or smile. She always had that huge smile on her face, always seeming happy in the world, like she couldn’t wait for new exciting adventures.
My senior year of high school, I was applying to colleges and was nervous of making the right choice of where to spend the next four years. When I visited Tuscaloosa I was amazed by the atmosphere that surrounded the college, but I still wasn’t sure if that was the place for me. Then I saw a familiar face -- Jaimie’s. She came sprinting at me high speed, wrapped her arms around me and smiled. Something told me from that moment on I would be seeing that face a lot in the future.
Jaimie showed me around the school, took me to Mugshots and then we went to a movie since I wasn’t old enough to get into a bar. We saw "This Means War" with Chris Pine and Tom Hardy. I’ll never forget how excited she got when we saw the trailer for "The Hunger Games" and how angry she was when I told her I had no idea what that was.
That was Jaimie, innocent with firepower and willing to stand her ground if someone got in her way. She didn’t have to be nice to me when I was visiting, she didn’t have to talk to me. Hell, all I knew about Jaimie was she was just another girl from high school who went to college in Alabama. Instead, she became the final piece missing to send me to Alabama.
. 
Over the next few years, Jaimie and I would remain very casual, fun friends. I remember when she was on national TV with her dad, covered head to toe with red paint to cheer on Alabama at the 2012 National Championship.
Her heart had one love: Alabama football. She was obsessed with the Tide and would go all out for every game just to prove it. Trust me, she could talk you under the table about sports in general, but when it came to Tide, you might as well dig your own grave 'cause she definitely knew more than you.
Freshman year, my brother, a hometown friend, Jaimie and I road tripped back for the holidays. There were four average-size adults cramped with all our bags and belongings into her small blue pill of a car. We didn't notice it after a while, we just kept jamming to classic '90s tunes and comedy radio. It's definitely a memory I hold very near and dear to my heart.
Jaimie eventually transferred to the University of South Alabama to become a nurse. The nursing school in Tuscaloosa missed out on an incredible candidate. Not only that, she was a part of Air Force ROTC, and was going to serve our country.
Still, even though she wore the colors of a Jaguar, her heart was filled with the dixie-land pride. I remember the LSU game last year where we went into overtime and heard a loud scream in the middle of a bar in Tigerland. “No. Freaking. Way….COLE!!”
Jaimie was behind me smiling, cheering on the Tide to victory with her family. That weekend, I was in terrible car accident and was hurt pretty badly. I still sit here in shock wondering how I walked away with just a few broken bones and a concussion. Still, Jaimie texted me to make sure I was okay. “I heard you were in a wreck dude, my family is praying for you. GET BETTER!!”
When Christmas time comes around, I usually like to send everyone in my phone a Merry Christmas text. That year I decided not to, but when Jaimie texted me with all those emojis, I knew I had to. That was Jaimie for you, she put the fire in you to go out and brighten someone else's day.
Which brings us to July 3, 2015. I hadn’t talked to Jaimie in a while, but she was liking all the pictures of me living in New York City, and I was liking all of her Instagram posts with her boyfriend. I woke up to Facebook sharing pictures of Jaimie and messages asking for prayer. I couldn’t believe it. She was in an accident, and had to go into the ICU…no, that wasn't Jaimie.
She was put on this earth to help people, not to be helped. She was going to be the one saving someone else's life, not fighting for her own. I knew Jaimie was tough as nails and a fighter -- she was going to get through this, she was going to be okay, she was going to be on the other corner smiling. She was going to win this fight.
She did fight, but she lost an un-winnable fight.
Now, I’m sitting in my apartment going through her Facebook, and looking at old pictures of us and all her friends. I keep getting texts from people saying how sorry they are for "my" loss. I called her phone just because I didn’t want to believe she was gone. I just wanted to hear her voice one last time. But she is gone, and no matter how hard we wish and pray she is not coming back. It's not my loss, it's the world's loss.
The worst part is this was an accident. That driver didn’t wake up and say, “Hey, I’m just gonna ruin a life today." He just was doing his job and was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Unfortunately, he will live with that guilt his entire life, and we won’t be with her.
This is just a small portion from one person, among the hundreds of others who were blessed to be on this earth with Jaimie Witcraft. Hopefully, these words of love have allowed you to meet her a little bit as well.
There are few people who can walk into a room and make things brighter. Jaimie was one them. Jaimie’s life was cut far too short, but for those of you who were lucky to call her our friend, we will cherish those years we had together. We will cherish the laughs, the tears, the quirks, the cheers; everything we had with her we will cherish.
So, God, you have a very special new guest arriving. Please make sure she is well taken care of, is given a nice view for eternity and if by chance a free TV package to watch Alabama Football play every Saturday. Don’t worry about the price, we’ll cover it.
Also, make sure you let her know how much we miss her every day, and how proud we are to call her our daughter, our sister, our girlfriend, our friend. Finally, make sure everyone up their gets to see that smile, because that was the best part of her.
Jaimie, wherever you are, around a corner, or a million miles away, you may be gone, but your memory stays with us in our hearts forever.
Life is the most precious gift we have on this planet. It is a shame to lose someone and learn this lesson, but then again, Jaimie taught me one last thing on her way to paradise.
Cherish the moments you have with the people you love. Live in the moment and be proud of who you are. Be happy to be able to take a breath of fresh air and bask in the beauty that is life. Be glad you were given another chance to live each moment of each day to fullest. Be thankful you woke up this morning to see the people who adore you.
And smile -- because that’s what Jaimie would do.
