Patsy Terrell

Lived fully, laughed loudly, gave generously

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July 29, 2009 by Patsy

Defining Moments

“At various points throughout life, we arrive at a crossroads, where our self-understanding and our understanding of the world around us are thrown into scrutiny.                               
Dr. Kevin Leman

I’ve always referred to these as “defining moments,” when our idea of who we are and our place in the world is thrown into question.

They can come at the oddest of times, in seemingly innocuous circumstances. Yet, there it is – a moment that gives you reason to pause, to think, to consider, to rethink. On the other side of that, sometimes you come out a different person.

One of the things I’ve had on my “gonna do it at some point for my own good mental health” list for quite awhile is to list ten defining moments in life. I’m guessing there may be a pattern that emerges there. But, for reasons I can’t explain I’ve never actually gotten around to making that list. I think it might start out with more than 10 and have to pared down. Not that there’s any magic in 10. It could be 20 or three or seven.

What’s reasonable? One per year of life? One for every five years of life? It’s all arbitrary. But 10 seems like a good amount to see a pattern emerge.

I’ll have to think about it some more, but I know at least a couple of things on my list would be:
1. Going to the University of Kentucky
2. Meeting Greg and being friends all these years
3. Traveling to Egypt alone

I’ll think about it some more. Seems like an interesting exercise.
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Epitaphs for Patsy

In a document she left behind for a good friend, Patsy listed five possible epitaphs that could be used at the time of her passing.

  • ‘Lived Fully. Laughed Loudly. Gave generously. Gone.’
  • ‘Lived, Laughed and Loved. Continuing that elsewhere.’
  • ‘Lived fully every day. No regrets now.’
  • ‘The journey continues It has been magical.’
  • ‘A magical journey so far no regrets.’

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An Editorial Tribute

Image courtesy of Richard Crowson

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In memory of Patsy Terrell • Curated by Greg Holmes • Website by Rosemary Miller