I met Pat by way of her son, Kit. I first met Kit sitting in the front office waiting to be seen by the principal. He was all of 12 and full of mischief and attitude. I recognized in him a kindred spirit and took him under my wing. Introduced him to great books, like Elfquest and D&D -- took him gaming with my friends. D&D was good for Kit. With an outlet for his energy, he stopped getting into trouble and spent a lot less time cooling his heels in the front office.
But first, before any gaming, I made sure to meet his mom, so she woulld know her son wasn't hanging out with weirdos. It wasn't long before we started doing things together and a long and wonderful friendship developed. We had a lot in common. A love of reading and of doing things ourselves, like building patios and working with wood to give a face lift to her kitchen cabinets. It might have taken multiple trips to the hardware store, but by golly, we got that patio cover done! It was such fun hanging out with Pat and building things or just prowling the mall and the bookstores.
Her son, Kit and her daughter, Nikki have both grown up to be marvelous. It has been a delight to watch them grow into the people they are today.
I'm going to miss Pat, but I'd never give up a single moment we spent together as friends. We'll meet again, dear friend, hopefully in this life. If not, I'm patient, I can wait.
