A series of misfortunes that have befallen James Bonesteel havent dampened his enthusiasm for life or the optimism that guides his path in believing things will always get better if you try.

To the young girls of ABCD girls softball team Precision Vision, Bonesteel is affectionately known as Coach Jimbo.

Bonesteels story is one of courage and inspiration that shows any obstacle placed in your path is never too big to get around if you believe in yourself.

A New York native, Bonesteel has lived in Nebraska for 18 years. Currently, he is a resident of the Crossroad Center shelter in Hastings, but he operates his own handyman business that provides him the beginning of self-sufficiency.

I am hard of hearing and grew up that way, Bonesteel said. But I also grew up challenging people who said I couldnt be a police officer and anything else I wanted to be because of that.

He worked as a police officer for 20 years in various jobs, including chief of police in Clarks, until he decided to pursue a different career path.

With the situation I am going through, as I am homeless right now, people look at me and say, Wow, how can you stay so positive and be motivated in coaching these girls with the situation you are in right now? Bonesteel said.

While some may say they would have walked away from life and hid in their depression if they found themselves in Bonesteels shoes, his response is simple and direct: You cant do that. You have to have a heart.

You have to be strong, and you have to be positive, he said.

After leaving a career in law enforcement, Bonesteel was involved in a work-related accident that resulted in a spinal injury from his neck to his tailbone, causing him to lose mobility and putting him in a wheelchair. That accident occurred six years ago when he was working as a trailer mechanic.

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Hastings man a role model despite life’s adversities