Patty

Last week my husband and I went to Florida for his nephew wedding.While there we decided to go visit my niece and her mother,my ex-sister in law from my former marriage,whom I call friend.
Patty and I have known each other since before my niece and son were born,over 31 years ago.
She is the strongest most christian living person I have ever had the pleasure to know and is an inspiration for me in times of trials.
She was born one of 5 children who came from an abusive family,her father was a cheating alcoholic who had a temper and and showed no restraint in using it against his children.
Her mother was an nurse who worked the night shift.
My friend turned her back on traditional religion,when while growing up her cheating father would force the children to attend Sunday service while he carried on affairs,very openly in front of his wife and children.
Now the thing with Patty is she is the most giving,loving person you will ever meet and although for the past 34 years she has been battling ms,she is never one to complain to much or not see the bright side of life,even when her husband left her and her daughter for another woman,one of her best friends.
When her daughter decided to go to school in Tampa,my friend moved out there to be with her,giving all the financial and physical support she could muster,though the money was tight the love never was.
With our nephew wedding came the opportunity to visit my good friend.
Vic and I spent the day in Clear water at her nursing home,see Patty is now in a Geri chair,with breathing issues and paralysis on the right side of her body.
Though limited in movement,this 56 year old is still the dearest most Jesus like person I have ever met.
We spent most of our three hour visit reminiscing about our times together and her daughters future as a tax consultant at Price Water Company.
Although her voice was not strong and her ability to speak difficult,I would consider this the best part of my Florida trip.
This is a person whom against all her adversities kept repeating how good God had been to her and how lucky she was to have the love and devotion of her beautiful daughter.
There is little to say about my own life that can compare with Patty love or how fortunate and blessed I am to have her in not only my life but my memories.
How can one person be so good and kind and yet sit in a Geri chair unable to move most of her physical body.
But this is a person whom God has given the ability for flight in the spiritual world,touching not only my life,my heart and my soul but also all those around her in her day to day life.
Although I have heard about saintly people,this in my mind,is what a real saint is like.Having the ability to not only take on the terribleness of life burdens but to decide that being happy is more important then any material thing,including ones limiting body.
Her soul is like that of a great eagle and some day when it is freed from her cumbersome body she will fly across the skies,over the mountains and into the loving arms of God her Father.
And I can in gratitude,know that I have met a gift from God in my every day life and hopefully have appreciated her wit and wisdom enough to carry it through to all those around me in my own ever day life.