Patti Carpenter
Patti Carpenter was one of six girls born to John and Eleanor Foster. Growing up a “Foster girl” were the privileged years in Patti’s life story. Neither her father, nor her mother allowed the Foster children to think of themselves as superior to their peers. In fact, they instilled a very powerful message that the girls were part of a bigger picture and should always strive to be part of a solution. Patti and her sisters always considered themselves to be lucky girls, and knew their parents were special people who gave them a broad, accepting vision of how the world should be. As a young and impressionable girl, these powerful memories of her adolescence would shape the core ideals of the person Patti would become.
Patti’s parents showed her and her sisters the world through travel and it was a central part of their lives. Being vagabonds around Europe is one of her fondest memories—all six Foster girls harmonizing as they crossed the continent. One particularly memorable stop was Salzburg, Austria. Many years later, upon returning to Salzburg with her husband, Patti was overwhelmed with emotion at the memories she had. Feeling an immediate urge to connect her dad, Patti called him, telling him through tears how much she remembered being a kid, her family summers in Europe, and to thank him for providing this great experience. Both dissolved to tears, with Patti’s dad replying, “Thank you so much for sharing that with me Patti.” Today, Patti sees that call as the most important phone call of her life. Six months later, on his 83rd birthday, Patti’s dad died in her arms—hers was the last voice and the last eyes her dad saw as he left this world.
In retrospect, Patti surmises that she adopted a dog to fill the void left behind when she lost her dad. She found her dog, Cosmo, at a shelter and for sixteen years, he was her sidekick. She would often say he was her “spirit dog.” There is no judgment in a dog’s life. You are perfect to your dog every day. There are no bad hair days. You’re never too fat or too thin. It’s all pure love. Cosmo taught Patti how to truly love and accept herself. Her debut children’s book, Cosmo’s Cosmic Adventure is written to honor their sixteen years together. His life with Patti – and now without her – has become a passion for Patti. For if their life together, and loss of each other, helps one child through a difficult process of saying goodbye, Patti feels she has truly reached her goal. She and Cosmo will meet again when she finds him on the other side! Currently, Patti spends her days between Scottsdale, Arizona and Telluride, Colorado, writing Cosmo’s future cosmic adventures.
