Every Christmas as I decorate my christmas tree I am reminded of the true spirit of Patti. So loving and giving even though she didnt have much she was generous to all. At the best of times money was tight and she had to make due with limited resources. On this Christmas Patti made each family a set of tree ornaments in the shape of a rocking horse. Each person had their name on the rocker part of the decoration and it was customized according to our preferences. Jay and I were into music and so mine was painted white with music notes on it and Jay's was painted black with white music notes on it. She even made one for our Gordon Setter dog ...whose name was Chauncy. She painted it red with plaid detailing. Each of our family members received a beautiful wrapped box containing these lovely hand made ornaments. Mine have survived about 23 years now. The year that Patti died it was hard to be full of the joy of christmas and so when I decorated the tree and opened the little box with those treasures it was like getting a christmas hug from her. Each year I look forward to opening these little fragile gifts and placing them strategically in the center of the tree at eye level so when I gaze at the tree she is there in spirit. There are so many memories on my christmas tree with all the ornaments from family and friends and they all mean so very much to me. What she did was a reflection of who she was and how she lived her life.. with great love and boundless energy and love. My mom came to spend Christmas with us in 1996 and as hard as it was for her to find any joy at Christmas, those ornaments brought her some comfort too. May all your christmas's be bright. Hugs Marilyn