Day Marks

 Jimmy was a miracle. James Kevin Hallen was born on April 15, 1962, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the “Land of Enchantment.” My parents were not expecting another child because they were already dealing with the special needs of my little sister Diana, who was born with health problems. Part of Jimmy’s mission on earth was to help Diana survive (although you couldn’t always tell because he teased her so mercilessly). Diana had to be fed by a tube in her stomach for the first two years of life, and before her reparative surgery the doctor told my mother to start letting Diana taste things; otherwise, she might refuse to eat by mouth after the operation. A letter from my mother records that Jimmy was instrumental in giving Diana an example: “the other day, she tried for the first time to taste a graham cracker on her own. She begged a piece from Cindy and put it in her mouth and licked on it. I’m sure that she got the idea from watching James eat, as she seems fascinated watching him drin