In Honor of Patricia

 

I met Patricia at my first handmade show. She looked at my items for sale and said in her teasing Argentinian accent, "...you must have a lot of patience...".

Patricia constantly crocheted, made resin jewelry and loved telling stories about her cat, Sam. I truly got know her at a later show that we labeled a "dud". Neither of us made a single sale and I think it was because the event was not advertised well but that's a story for another time.

Patricia and I had a whole afternoon to chat. She told me about living in Argentina and how she used to have a cat that would do tricks. We compared notes about different handmade shows and had to chuckle at the fact that we had signed up for this show (that was not such a good idea). It was a peaceful chatty afternoon and we ate lunch together. If we hadn't arrived ready for a handmade show, it would have been just that — a nice lunch and afternoon chatting with a friend.

Last week, Patricia sadly lost her battle with cancer. She will be missed — her directness, her insights, her sense of humor and her chuckle. I will miss seeing her at shows and watching her crochet while she talks to people. I'll miss seeing her eyes light up while hearing about Sam's latest adventures.

In honor of Patricia, please do something kind for a stranger this week. She put me (at the time a stranger to her) at ease with her observation when I first met her and I will never forget that. (I was a nervous hand maker at my first show not having any idea what to expect.)