Bonds of Friendship in a Writers’ Group: Remembering Jim Shaw

Our writers’ group in Atenas is just 7 months old, yet a special intimacy has developed in coming together and sharing what we have prepared for the week or in responding to a prompt.  I have experienced a similar rich friendship and closeness built when creating choreography for a new piece with a dance company, or going on tour with a small group of participants who only a few weeks before were strangers.  That kind of warmth and fellowship developed quickly in our small writers’ group.

The writers’ group grew out of a workshop presented by Jennifer Paquette when she was my guest spending several weeks working on a historical fiction novel.  A day before she was due to leave, she shared some of her writing and then prompted us to do some writing.  Immediately afterwards several participants enthusiastically suggested, “Let’s start a regular writers’ group here.”  And so we did.  Jim Shaw was one of the people who was at the workshop and immediately wanted to be part of the new group.

I had known Jim since January 2020, when my husband and I moved to Costa Rica.  At that time, Jim was President of our homeowners’ association and made a welcoming visit. Nine months later, when my husband passed away and Jim saw my post on Facebook, he immediately drove down to my house to check if there was anything he could do to help.  That gesture sealed a special place in my heart for Jim.

When I began to think about inviting artist friends to spend some time at my home, I reached out to several members of the community for suggestions on places to take visitors and ways that we might interact with the community. Jim and his wife Tracey had lots of good suggestions. A year later when the artists’ visits began, Jim and Tracey enthusiastically attended the artists’ presentations.

Jim came to the writers’ workshop when he could.  Writing wasn’t easy for him so sometimes he shared a combination of what he wrote and just talked about his poignant memories of growing up and being a pilot during the Vietnam war.  Since confidentiality is an important component of the group, we won’t reveal specifics, but we will share how much Jim meant to us. I personally am so grateful for Jim’s friendship, founding role in our writers’ group, and the opportunity to have heard his writing and storytelling.

Members of the Writers’ Group Share Their Thoughts

From Rosalie Olds

Even though I’ve been living in Atenas for about three years, I only met Jim recently when we both joined a local writers’ group.  His quick wit and twinkling smile endeared me to him right away.  When I shared my writing piece, I found his comments supportive and insightful.  I especially enjoyed hearing about his experiences serving in Vietnam.  Jim clearly felt compassion for others and delighted in being kind and helpful.  I’ll miss the ribbing he gave me when his beloved Astros beat the Mariners.  May he rest in peace.

From Trey Mallard

Haiku for Jim Shaw:  In Memoriam 01/17/2023

1943-2023

In one’s life, people cross your life’s journey for just a moment but have a lasting impact.  For me, one of those people was Jim Shaw.  We met at a party, and immediately, Crissy and I knew that Jim and Tracey would become fast friends.  We had similar stories in that we were both on second marriages, and some would say we married “eye candy.”  But Jim and I knew better.  Even though there were age differences with younger wives, we had both met and married our “soul mate.”  Jim joined the initial writers’ group organized by JoAnne Tucker, which met in her lovely home in Hacienda Atenas.  We were all would-be writers, but Jim was the only one who had not put his stories down on paper–Wisconsin farm boy to Top Gun in the Vietnam war.  His stories were difficult to transcribe because his war experiences were still much with him and hard to relive.  Jim lived with significant physical disabilities but was always up for a good time.  His smile and sparkle in his eyes belied internal pain but were an instant attraction to those he encountered. I was fortunate not to have been drafted into his war, but I understood what it was like to lose friends who never returned.  His death was sudden and too soon.  Here’s to you, my friend…

Top Gun y Mas

I

Home, country, farm boy

grew, handsome, gentle spirit

pilot, war, hero.

II

Soars on metal wings.

Flight, chase, fell the enemy.

Now, soaring on mist.

III

Second time love found

On love bird wings, two fly high

Soaring one flies home.

IV

Crippled body parts

needs extra feet for walking

now, one straight path, Light.

V

Blue eyes, smile lives on,

His loving memory strong.

New star, so bright, Jim

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