Dear Patrick (One Year Later)
A letter to Patrick, written one year after his death, but not shared on the website until much later.
Category: Letters
Letters to and from Patrick from over the years. I am attempting to remove last names in the interest of privacy. Many of his old letters are undated. When that happens I make an educated guess (in terms of posting dates for this web site) but I could be wildly off in some cases.
“My Heart” Is the Refrain (e-Mail)
I have found myself of late with a sort of refrain in my head, often repeated aloud (when I am alone) “My heart” is the refrain, always seeing her in the garden, in the countryside, in the car.
Revisiting: Letter from my Mom
I realize that this web site reflects on my dad’s life and his many accomplishments. Patrick was a prolific writer, avid reader, skilled musician, witty raconteur, good friend, and active in pursuit of the arts. He was especially joyful about his relationship with Stephanie which he considered the best thing that ever happened to him. […]
Revisiting: A Letter Between Dads
I admire Patrick greatly, just as I admired John, my grandfather who adopted me. Each of my two fathers had special qualities that I value, and each loved me in their own way. Patrick, however, was mostly absent from my life, and from the lives of my sisters, which worried John immensely. In contrast, John […]
Letters from Mom
Here is a collection of letters from Little Grandmother (Patrick’s mom) to Patrick. She had lovely handwriting. I’m not sure when he scanned these, but they were obviously important (or at least interesting) to him. NOTE: These letters are attached as a PDF file (11 pages), almost 48 MB in size, so you may choose […]
I Sail for Naples
Here’s a letter from Fred to Patrick, probably 1963. Perhaps the date could be made more exact if we knew when Ann B was born since she is referenced here. The letter includes a poetry critique, some personal observations, and mentions several friends including Bob and Edmund. Completely unrelated. I just transcribed the recording about […]
You Coulda Been a Hero
Patrick liked the writing style in this letter from Gretchen, as did I, though it was painful for him to read. Some references have been edited at my sister’s request. WARNING: Sensitive readers may be offended by this letter’s foul language or the reality of the tale itself. CHAPTER ONE You pegged Pedro dead to […]
Letter to Patrick
Hey Patrick, it’s JP. I’m wearing that robe tonight, the maroon one that you and Ivonne bought for me when I came to visit in Palma—so long ago it seems, although it was really just a year and a half ago. So I’m wearing the maroon robe and I’m thinking about you. You know, things […]
An Unsent Letter
I just came across this e-mail to Diane, which apparently was never sent. I believe Patrick dictated it on his phone, then left it unedited in the Drafts folder of his mail box. It was dated just ten days before his death, 12 April 2017. I started trying to edit it a little, just putting […]
Wednesday (22 March 2017)
A couple of notes to a sister about Wednesday the 22nd of March. Not sure if you’re getting these email messages. Anyway here’s another from last night. Patrick has taken meds and gone to bed. He’s still in a lot of pain and has a hard time getting around tonight but he had another solid […]
Democracy Has One Big Problem
In response to a YouTube video called Rules for Rulers, Patrick responded on 16 Nov ‘ 16: Pretty good video. But democracy has one big problem. If you can keep people dumb with entertainment, and make them think what you want, you control everything without giving true rewards in proportion to the value of the […]
A Bit of Fred’s Story
I found this a while ago and posted the letter that was attached to this story, but failed to share the story itself, an error remedied here. By the way the letter concluded with: When you’re sitting down, with coffee & cigarette, anything seems possible. 1 From his mother’s house in Salisbury, Fred called his […]
Heading to Coos Bay, Oregon
Patrick and Lee traveled to Oregon after high school. Here’s a story fragment about the experience. He references the Seventh Day Adventist religious group, but he’s actually describing the Jehovah’s Witnesses, a different Christian sect. The fragment is from a collection called You Never Know that Patrick sent me on 11 Aug ’15. South of […]
Ashes
A story Patrick sent to me on 13 March 2015. In the kitchen preparing breakfast I have bacon on medium heat, abiding by Steinbeck’s advice to cook it slowly, a couple of eggs at the ready, abiding by my own rule never to put eggs in the refrigerator, and humming to myself to cover the […]
Life Was Twice as Beautiful with Stephanie
Here’s a letter to a sister, dated 11 Feb 2015. He mentions Bob Dreicer, who died a couple of days earlier, Suzy, Frank, and of course Stephanie. There are several poetic lines, including “We use to scoop all that scenery up together. “ Thanks for the fotos. Happy Valentine’s Day to you, too. Any news […]