The mystery of love is greater than the mystery of death.Unknown Patricia Mae (Schweitzer) Moreau
What started out as just a way to pass the time in the evening by chatting in a chat room on Compuserve in 1999 turned into a very special relationship with a very special woman. Yes I met Pat online. She in North Carolina and me in Nebraska. Over time, what was at first friendly banter among a group of people in a 40s chat room turned into love between her and I and we soon spent more time in private conversation. We chatted and talked on the phone for awhile until she asked for a picture. Well, we mailed each other a picture and I have to say when I got hers I was stunned! I also figured that this relationship just hit its first and last wall. I mean look at her and then look at me! I'm telling myself no chance dude! I was wrong and I thank God every day that this lovely woman cared for me.
She eventually asked me to come for a visit and spend Thanksgiving with her and her family. Although I was hesitant I also wanted to meet her in person. Fortunately, I met the guidelines that her sister Terri had placed on me based on a background check she had her husband Randy conduct so I wasn't immediately jailed upon arrival. Although I tease Pat's sister unmercilessly about this, I love Terri for doing that, because it shows just how much she loved her sister.
Pat and I married in January 1, 2001 in Hendersonville, North Carolina. She gave up family, friends, job, and a home that she built to move all the way to Bellevue, Nebraska, and during one of the coldest winter in years. She didn't come out of the house until April!
Pat was my world. I loved her dearly and made sure that she knew that every single day. Maybe I was just afraid that if I didn't tell her I would lose her...no, I just wanted her to know that she was loved.
She loved helping people. No matter how small or big the problem if she could help she would dive right in. She loved being a secretary and if you called her an administrative assistant she would correct you on the spot. She knew how to handle people and could use her southern charms to melt your heart...I know she melted mine often. She could use a "hon" or a "darling" with a flash of a smile and her green eyes to disarm the most angry or disgruntled customer. She could wipe out a perfectly good mad that I had going with a touch of her hand or the sound of her voice. She was my sanity check. She was my best friend, and my soulmate. I miss her every single hour of every single day.
When we found out she had cancer in August of 2008, we were devastated, but she stood tall and fought back. Even when she physically felt the worst she still managed to smile and give a good word to others, especially the wonderful nurses and doctors that fought alongside her. She always said others were worse off than her. I watched her battle this disease up close and very personal. I cannot begin to imagine the amount pain she endured and I know that she did not always tell me how bad she really felt. I was fortunate to work for a great company that permitted me to work a schedule that allowed me to be by her side throughout this ordeal. I drove her to her appointments and watched her endure multiple tests, biopsies and surgical procedures. Through it all I witnessed her grace, charm, goodness, and a single-mindedness of purpose in her. She was the bravest person I have ever met and I know that I was blessed to have known her as a person and loved her as her husband. She did not lose her battle with cancer, she was called home. She left before this disease could ravage her body and leave her and her loved ones devastated by it.
Yes, I mourn the loss of my beloved Patricia, but I also celebrate her life and her brave fight and I hope that all that knew her will remember her beauty, her smile, and her ability to bring the best out of people. Love her for all that she was and remember that she is with her Lord and saviour and no longer feels pain, only love.
