m-squared memories.

A whole week later ... I've been to Hell, Houston, Chicago — the suburb of Arlington Heights, really — and finally, home. We said our final farewells and buried my birthmom, Pat, in a fussy white casket on a dreary Saturday afternoon with the snow falling.

So this March Monday, I offer my top ten memories of Pat, all of which I'm ever grateful for.

1. The pleasantly lilting way she answered the telephone: "Pat Pepin" — like it was punctuated with a little happy face.

2. Our hours-long conversations, full of her smokey laughter.

3. All the other people important to her, of whom she talked frequently: Piotr, Teresa, cousin Shirley, best-friend Mary, Elliot, neices Deanna and Stacy.

4. Her many, many stories about Stelle & Stanley (dalmatians), KG (a recently adopted feral kitten), and all the uninvited critters around her South Florida home (possums, poisonous frogs, snakes, a whole colony of wild, inbreeding cats).

5. Her black-and-white obsession — décor, wardrobe and pets alike.

6. Her unlikely yet utter affection for and attachment to her mother, of whom she took exquisite care until the day Evelyn died (almost eight years ago).

7. The gold necklace with three-diamond drop, which she had fashioned from her mother's wedding-ring stones as a gift for me.

8. Her birthday gifts for Rachel & Will for the first five years of their respective lives — college tuition installments that lifted that huge financial burden from our future.

9. Her extreme thoughtfulness, generosity and courage — in all things.

10. Her wedding ring, which her husband of 26 years, Bob, gave to me as a family keepsake.

Aside from a few self-destructive habits, there was practically nothing not to love about Pat. Which is why all I'm left with at the end of our reunited 15+ years is love for you, Pat, and gratitude for our abbreviated time together.

To read Pat's death notice from the Chicago Tribune (3.5.08), click here.

To contribute to a wonderfully worthwhile organization in honor of a great lady's memory, click here to go to the donations section of Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary & Hospital. Safe Harbor is a no-kill animal shelter located in Pat's last hometown of Jupiter, Florida. You can contribute any amount at all — for Patricia Franke, or for whomever else you want to honor or memorialize.