One week from today, on June 15, I'm going to begin blogging my book, Sooner Than Tomorrow - A Mother's Diary. Thought it might help readers to introduce the cast of characters. A few of you may find yourselves included in the list below — or recognize someone you know. And to Pat's Facebook friends, hope you'll smile as you read some of his Facebook posts once more.
It's getting really scary as I'm about to begin blogging my diary. It's so personal and we all know how unforgiving social media and the internet can be. Don't know why I feel so compelled to put this out there. Part is wanting to put faces on serious mental illness, part is my belief in what I have to say and how I say it, and part is because I want the world to know my son, Pat, was a good soul. He didn't meet many of the measures the world uses to define "success," but in so many other ways, he was the bravest, most true-to-himself person I've ever known. And if my diary helps other mothers feel like they're not alone, that will be a great outcome.
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CAST OF CHARACTERS
The Jazz
FAMILY
Dede/Mim - Me
Patrick/Pat - My son
Pop - My Pop
GG - My Mother
Megan (Britt) - My Utah daughter
Marisa (Keith) - My Washington daughter
Kerry (David) - My California daughter
Aidan, Ashton, Sam, Elise, Regan, Ayla - My grandchildren
Jim (Sharon) - My brother
Annette - My Kansas City cousin
Michael (Karen) - My nephew
Jazzy/The Jazz - My black kitty cat
Lexi - Pat’s Black Forest Hound
FRIENDS
Grace, Joan, Irene, Helena, Kaye, Deanne, Jan & Jim, Scotty, Bill & Betty, Rose, Jean, other mothers like me.
CAMEO APPEARANCES
Prince George, Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Vladimir Putin, Linda Ronstadt, Pope Francis, President Kennedy, Batman and Batkid, Nelson Mandela, Dr. Seuss, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, Wolf OR7, California Chrome, Maya Angelou
*Special Guest Star - George Clooney
LOCATIONS
Northern California - My home
Seattle, Washington - Marisa’s home
Bend, Oregon - A weekend get-away