Pam & I met in October 1981. She was 18, I was 20, at Keele university in Staffordshire. I had already been there a year and she was a fresher. We both lived in the same Halls of Residence on the same floor. I had the bigger room though! We lived there for 3 years except for the vacations. She could cook a good cottage pie and we shared the kitchen together. We were members of the Christian Union and she made a huge contribution to the life of the CU and we were both Publicity officers.We obtained the nicknames of Chip n Dale. Apparently they are a duo of cartoon chipmunks who started a detective agency,Rescue Rangers.( Walt Disney).
Even at 18 years old, her Christian faith was very evident & strong and this has continued all her life. We made some great friends together & she was the glue that kept us in contact over nearly 40 years. We will try to continue to keep that contact.
In January 1982, only 4 months after Pam & I met, I had some treatment for a developing spinal problem & I went into hospital. She was determined to visit me & send me messages of comfort & pray for me. In March 1982, I had back surgery at a local hospital. She was happy again to visit and liased with other students to visit too. I still have her get well card & letters she wrote to me during the Easter Vacation of 1982. Quote " In such situations we can only rely totally on Him knowing that this is His will for us, is the best possible plan in ours lives. " also she wrote in another letter ..Quote " Just remember that I will be thinking & praying for you. It sounds so easy to say, "Keep trusting in Him" but I know it's not easy to put into practise so I pray that God will give you strength to meet all your needs. God bless." So even as a 19 year old, Pam had a real understanding of prayer. She was very helpful in practical ways too & helped me to recover & return to continue my degree for the remainder of the summer term of 1982. It took until about December 1982 to fully recover and the operation was a great success.
Both Pam & I lost our Dad's suddenly in our 20's so we shared a common bond of only having one parent, our Mum's, whilst young adults.
We shared teaching as a career, she progressed up the ladder higher than I did. Pam was an excellent conscientious teacher, one of the best to have. In recent years we were both exam invigilators for GCSE's.
Pam was a great letter writer & her handwriting style stayed the same neatness over the years. She wrote alot of letters, telling me her news & asking what I had been up to etc. She liked keeping in touch. In later years, the letters turned to emails & even in the last 18 months she wanted to email us concerning an update of her treatment. I will miss her written annual summaries she communicated with in her Christmas letter & card. I still have many of her letters. She loved sending cards & remembered birthdays very well. I will cherish the hand painted one she sent last September for me. She knew I would really like this one, as we shared the hobby of water colour painting and making cards. The very first birthday card she sent me was for my 21st. One particular letter she was the instigator of & main author, as it was shared with other university friends who contributed to it, was not at all conventional. However, it did arrive through the post. The stamp was on the left hand side corner, the address was not in its usual place & sentences were written in different colours, directions & styles. I kept it for many years & last year I gave her a copy of it & she was very amused that I still had it! It made her laugh, it was good to reminisce.
Pam's friendship was an enriching one. She was a very caring person & always interested in what you were doing or how you were feeling. If she asked, " How are you?" she had those caring eyes that mean't, " How are you really?"
As the old song goes, We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when.. But we do know where ( in eternal heaven ) but don't know when.
Pam you were a unique friend & I thank God for our special memories of shared holidays, day trips, shared meals & picnics, weddings of friends, a bridesmaid at mine, long chats & conversations..we could be on the phone for ages!
So thankyou Pam, for your letters , cards, & a long & special friendship.
Elizabeth
