Friends, and then Some

This is an account of Jim’s and my history together as recorded in January of 2004 whilst I was a missionary. 

The Story of Mr and Mrs James Stancombe 

(through my eyes)

Jim was really in to basketball and had actually played with Sam Pawson (who I grew up with in the church) since they were about five years of age.  I began frequenting the Elphin Sports Centre to watch Jim play.  Clearly he was the yummiest baller in the league.

As the weeks went on Jim and I began spending a fair bit of time together outside of work.  In fact, I was still in pathology and Jim had started back at school.  I would often see Jimmy come into pathology during the day to see his dad.  It was much later that I learned it was an excuse to come in and see me.

I was still spending a bit of time with friends on the east coast, but Jim and I had become really good friends.  I had finished up at the LGH for the time being and landed a job in a private doctor’s surgery on High Street.  It’s amazing how the Lord has taken care of me with employment.  If I didn’t spend that time in pathology, I probably would never have been considered for the medical reception position at Tremaur Medical Centre.

When school holidays came around for Jimmy, he would work at the hospital doing the blood run for pathology.  He would go to various surgeries in Launceston, Riverside, Perth and Longford to collect samples to bring back to the Labs.  Often on his run he would drop into Tremaur Medical to say hi to me.

I worked from 1pm – 7pm on weekdays at the Medical Centre.  The hours were not ideal and the pay was terrible.  It gave me the experience I needed to go on to better things later though. 

I would spend many mornings at Jimmy’s house before heading to work.  Jimmy took sick whilst I was working at the surgery. To this day the both of us have no idea how I never caught his sickness.  He had Glandular Fever which is affectionately known as ‘The Kissing Disease’.  I remember our first kiss well.  The Stancombe home was in Newstead, just before Hobblers Bridge on Pine Avenue.  It was an old home built way back when and I believe it was once a farm titled ‘Elphin Farm’.  I imagine a lot of Newstead grew up around Elphin Farm and some of the other old neighbouring homes in that area.  The home had an old wooden porch with a front door and another door to the right of the house in which you could enter directly into Jim’s bedroom.

That door right there is where the young Krissy Reeve
first kissed the handsome Jimmy Stancombe

My niece Chelsea and I were visiting Jim.  It would have had to have been around 8pm.  Jim being the first year university student that he was, was busy at the computer doing an assignment.  He had taken a brief recess to visit with us for a moment.

As Chelsea and I were leaving his porch I mentioned to her of my desire to kiss Jim.  Well, would you know it, that little darling ran back to the doorstep to tell him.  It was a very unusual situation. I’ve never been backward in coming forward regarding matters of the heart but for some reason, with this young man I was quite timid.   Jim beckoned for my return and our first kiss took place.   I always thought that the first kiss had to be just perfect, that for a moment the earth would stop spinning on its axis and that stars and planets would leap from the sky.  THIS kiss did none of those things but I was confident that with a bit of practice we would some day have it down to a fine art.

To be continued.....

The Story of Mr and Mrs James Stancombe (through my eyes)

This is an account of Jim’s and my history together as recorded in January of 2004 whilst I was a missionary serving in the Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah Mission

The Turn of a Century and a Change of Heart

Who would have thought that the turn of the century would change my life quite literally forever? 

From 1998 to the year 2000 I was living a life with one foot in Zion and the other in Babylon.  It was with the turn of the century that I made a huge decision.  This was to find my own testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and to spiritually learn to stand on my own two feet.  I recalled a scripture in my years of Seminary (early morning youth scripture study):  “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.  Ye cannot serve God and Mammon” (Matthew 6:24). 

I found it difficult to break ties with some of the people I had been associating with for over two years of my life.  One of these people was a young surfer guy who I had been keeping company with for all this time.  I knew that spiritually I could not move forward unless I severed those ties, but in order for me to do that I would potentially feel lonely. 

Then, I met someone, someone who was good to be around. 

Jim and I met in January of 2000 at the Launceston General Hospital.  I had been working on-call at the hospital for a number of months as a hospital aide, helping out on the various wards whenever the regular hospital aide was unavailable.  I was called quite unexpectedly to work full-time in the Pathology department of the hospital for 8 weeks.  Truly this was an answer to many a prayer, offered primarily by my mother as it gave me an opportunity to earn more money, gain more work experience and also keep me away from a certain group of people that were spiritually draining.  Looking back on this part of my life, I can see that the Lord’s hand was very much in this diversion on my life’s highway.

There was a wide demographic of people who worked in pathology.  The office staff were lovely, primarily women (which was not something I was excited about due to the cattiness you often get with a bunch of women).  The medical scientists were on the strange side and the guy who was over the mortuary was a character.  

Paul Stancombe was a popular man in the pathology department.  He always seemed busy and everybody liked him (‘Stank’).  Paul was always the same; friendly, happy and on the move. 

It was after my first couple of days in the office that I noticed this tall, dark and handsome stranger floating around the labs and in and out of the office.  His eyes were a beautiful bright blue and his smile was truly magical.  I loved the way he carried himself and how confident and friendly he was with everyone.  It took a few days for us to be formally introduced and it seemed almost immediately after, we started to hit it off.

In all honesty, as corny as this sounds, I felt alive again.  I guess I had spent so much time doing the same thing over and over with the same people that this was all new and exciting.  Not only that, but Jim just felt really good to be around. 

When introduced to the young man I learned that he was Paul Stancombe’s son, Jim. The surname was uncommon and I wondered if he was any relation to Lucy Stancombe.  Turned out Lucy, was his older sister.  Lucy and I had a mutual friend when we were young, her name was Katrina.  Katrina lived in the small town of Legana, a couple of doors down from my granddad Reeve and we attended both Riverside Primary and High Schools together.  Katrina and Lucy did gymnastics together and from time to time the three of us would hang out on the weekends.  An even cooler part to this story is that every summer when our family would camp at Bridport with a few other LDS families, both Katrina’s and Lucy’s families would be up there also.  Katrina’s and Lucy’s families camped at another beach to us, but Lucy and her older sister Jess, would often venture down to Eastman’s Beach (the cool beach) because their grandfather camped just a few sites over from my family’s annual spot.  I always knew that Jess and Lucy had a younger brother and I think I even recall a slim little Jim at Bridport all those years ago, but I never met him.  That was until January 2000.  

To be continued…..