My Precious Life

By Patricia Ann Boyes

Pain and poverty paved the way to peace and spiritual prosperity in the life of the author, Patricia Ann Boyes, ordinary person.

In this memoir, she takes us from a three-year-old child witnessing her mothers brutal beatings, to a seventeen-year-old suffering the throes of childbirth; through a bitter marriage breakdown, and on to new love, entrepreneurship, and a battle with cancer.

This memoir will not compare with that of the rich and famous or with the extraordinary drama of the Malalas of the world, but it may compare in some ways with the lives of other ordinary people who also have a story to tell, lessons to learn, and obstacles to overcome.

Its a story of believing Gods promises and learning lifes lessons.

Someone once said, Dont die with your words or your music still in you.

The author has taken this advice.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jun 16, 2014
• ISBN: 9781490835495

Patricia Ann Boyes

This memoir is Patricia’s first published work. It is her story of living the lessons life has to teach. She has five children, fourteen grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. She lives in Scarborough, Ontario, and is currently working on her second book, The Moon Is Always Full, a collection of poetry.

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Copyright © 2014 Patricia Ann Boyes.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™ All rights reserved.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-3550-1 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-3551-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-3549-5 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014907759

WestBow Press rev. date: 06/05/2014

Contents

Dedication

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1.     If I’m Not Irish, What Am I?

A Lesson in Dreams Come True

2.     A Feeling of Abandonment

A Lesson in Staying Put

3.     Ages of Brutality

A Lesson in Fragility

4.     The Story Behind My Name

A Lesson in Identity

5.     Songs of Friendship

A Lesson in Growing Up

6.     The Blimp, The Boil, and Mr. Beckett’s House

A Lesson in Distraction

7.     Nobody Argues With Grandma

A Lesson in Obedience

8.     The Invitation to Lunch

A Lesson in Sadness

9.     The Black Sheep

A Lesson in Being Different

10.   Jesus Was a Jew

A Lesson in Sticks and Stones

11.   Another New School

A Lesson in Adjusting

12.   Toe Picks

A Lesson in Disappointment

13.   My First Job

A Lesson in Self Reliance

14.   On Being A Mother

Lessons in Reproduction

15.   Worry-Wart

A Lesson in Not to Worry

16.   A Leap of Faith

A Lesson in Being Aware

17.   Seventy Times Seven

A Lesson in Forgiveness

18.   The Mustard Seed Gift Shop

A Lesson in Entrepreneurship and Failure

19.   My Answered Prayers

A Lesson in Praying

20.   The Time I Asked God for a Sports Car

A Lesson in Things Hoped For

21.   The Kid On Second

A Lesson in Diplomacy

22.   The Still Small Voice

A Lesson in Acknowledging

23.   The Gift of Faith

A Lesson in Believing

24.   Dancing on a Prayer

A Lesson in Carelessness

25.   Give Me a Break

A Lesson in What You Pray For

26.   What’s In a Photograph?

A Lesson in Sensations

27.   A Pet Named Zoe

A Lesson in Pet Sitting

28.   A Mouse in the House

A Lesson in Resignation

29.   The Way I See It

A Lesson in Laying Down Your Life

30.   Writing Through the Rage

A Lesson in Stress

31.   Minding God’s Own Business

A Lesson in Service

32.   The Final Breath

A Lesson in Dying

33.   Trials and Tribulations

A Lesson in Perseverance

34.   About Job and Me

A Lesson in Relating

35.   Listen Up

A Lesson in Listening

36.   You’re Too Pretty to Smoke

A Lesson in Empathy

37.   My Travels

A Lesson in Adventure

38.   It Happened In An Instant

A Lesson in Safety

39.   I’m Still Here

A Lesson in Surrendering

40.   I’m A Believer

A Lesson in Knowing

Epilogue

About the Author

Notes

Dedication

Dedicated with all my love to my sons and daughters:

Deborah White, Cathryn Knaggs, Dann Boyes,

Lynn Scholfield, Kelly Boyes

To my grandchildren:

Sarah, Lisa, Lindsay, Laura, Rachel,

Aaron, Courtney, Jordan, Amberley,

Justin, Spencer, Oliver, Liam, Callum

To my great-grandchildren (to date):

Taylor, Brooke, Cora, Alexa, Reid, Shaylyn

Foreword

I first met Pat Boyes around 2004, when she attended a writing retreat that I was facilitating. It was during this special time of creative reflection that she wrote the poem that she shares in her introduction. It was a moving and powerful piece that touched all the participants at the retreat. It was clear she had things to say and a story to tell.

In 2007, she did me the honor of asking me to work with her as a life coach. She was my first ‘official’ client, and together we learned the power of a coaching relationship. I also quickly learned to appreciate the courage of the woman who shared her struggles as well as a desire to write her story.

The aim of any good story is to allow the reader to enter the writer’s world. That’s doubly true with memoir, which is the ultimate act of courage. By opening our hearts and laying bare our secrets we allow ourselves to be completely vulnerable to you, Dear Reader.

Pat’s courage is evident in the words that follow mine.

In these pages, Pat shares her story in the hope that she will be of service to you, a fellow traveler on this strange journey we call life. Her experiences are uniquely hers and universal. The details of your own story will, of course, differ but the underlying humanity is the same. By entering Pat’s story your own world will expand a little more.

As Pat reflects on the lessons her precious life taught her, it’s obvious she writes from a rich and varied experience. Lessons seasoned with laughter and tears. New schools, losing friends, feeling different and Christmas disappointments talk of a resiliency and optimism. Young motherhood, becoming a business woman, and the power of forgiveness teach lessons of hope, faith, and change. Dealing with disappointment and loss shows us how to mature with dignity.

Woven throughout the whole book is the thread of a strong faith, tying all the stories together into a lovely tapestry, Pat’s gift to you, Dear Reader. Be gentle—because it’s not just a book you hold in your hands but a human heart as well, the greatest gift of all.

I lost touch with Pat not long after we completed our coaching relationship, but when her email landed in my Inbox, I remembered her—quite clearly—because Pat will always be an example of the kind of courageous woman I deeply admire: someone who is willing to step into the uncomfortable places in service of her dreams—and of others.

I hope you find that same woman in the pages to follow. She has set a good example.

So Pat, thank you for the honor of writing a foreword to your book.

Aprille Janes, CPCC

Acknowledgements

My first thanks goes to God for giving me the courage to put my life on paper for the world to see—warts and all.

Thanks to my family for their constant encouragement, support, and extreme generosity.

Thanks to my granddaughter, Laura Knaggs, and to author, Carole M. Lidgold, for proof-reading and partially editing my manuscript to the point of submission.

Thanks to my daughter, Cathryn Knaggs, who wrote About the Author and unwittingly catapulted me into the pages of this lurking memoir. I was planning on publishing a book of poetry.

Thanks to author and life coach, Aprille Janes, of Port Perry, Ontario, who gave me the following note of encouragement after I attended her writing retreat in 2004:

Dear Pat—

You are a writer. Always believe that. Craft is something all writers work on their whole lives. Your I Am From poem was awesome and you never looked back. You are funny, wise, and have so much to give. Thank you for letting me be part of your growth.

Love,

Aprille

P.S. Did I mention courageous?

Thanks to my church family, many of whom often asked me, When are you going to write a book? They, too, were expecting a book of poetry.

Finally, thank you to all who will read this book, thereby giving me the opportunity to share the lessons I learned through God, gently, and sometimes not so gently, leading me through my precious life.

Introduction

I AM FROM

I am from a song sung on a swing, ‘Some Sunday Morning.’

I am from a short, sharp knife slicing methodically through my grandpa’s black bread, and from a wooden spoon in a batter filled bowl.

I am from the hum of my grandma as she beats her wooden tune.

I am from yodels and accordions, beer and peanuts, and raucous laughter; my mother.

I am from clotheslines full of washed, white diapers, and if they were dollars I would be a millionaire.

I am from peanut butter and jam sandwiches spread across a Formica counter top, two times five for lunches.

I am from a broken home, a broken marriage, a broken dream, and I am from happiness, love, aching longings, and dreams come true.

I am from my imagination, and I like to go there when beckoned from reality.

I am from heaven, earth, the universe, the trees, the birds, and the blade of grass I could not make whistle.

I am from God.

Patricia Ann Boyes

This poem pretty much sums up the story of my life, but a little more space was needed, so I wrote this book.

We all have a story to tell. Some of us are reluctant to share our stories for fear of ridicule, criticism, or even ostracism. Perhaps I am taking a chance of falling prey to all three—so be it.

Somewhere, I read that when you have a message to share you should not keep it to yourself.

I believe that we all have a message to share, and that we can learn from each other’s experiences—good, bad, or even indifferent.

Besides writing, reading is one of my favorite pastimes, and the Bible is one of my favorite books. From it I glean not only many lessons for living, but am also challenged to listen to the still, small voice which is exciting, and holy, and fun.

Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you. (Jeremiah 30:2)

That was the first scripture that prompted me to write this book, and then I found more.¹

I wrote this memoir mostly as a legacy for my family, but was then urged by my granddaughter, Laura, and others, to share it with a