Focus on Fiction pays tribute to author

Patty Metzer

On May 14, 2003, after a fourteen year battle with cancer, Patty Metzer walked into the arms of her Savior.   Though Patty awaits us in heaven, her unshakable courage and powerful faith still burn brightly on earth- in the hearts of her family, and in each page of her novels, Keeper of the Light and Lights of the Veil. 

In honor of Patty's life, Focus on Fiction presents an interview with her husband, Brian Metzer.

Focus:   Focus:   Brian, would you be willing to share with us some of the things you loved most about your wife, Patty? 

Brian Metzer:  Oh, where to start.  They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul.  Patty's eyes were so full of love.  When you looked into them you could just see the love. I can say the same thing about her smile.  Such a beautiful smile.  It came right from the depths of her spirit.  And she always gave 100 percent to everyone. You could see it in the way she treated those around her.

I loved everything about Patty, her compassion, kindness, gentleness.  Just everything.  They say you should marry your best friend; I was blessed because that is what I did. 

Focus:   What do you think is the greatest lesson people learned from Patty?

Brian Metzer:   One statement can sum it up, and that is,  "To be A Humble Servant".  Patty's life was all about servant hood. I could tell story after story of how she was a true servant.  The word 'no' was not in her vocabulary.  She was always willing to be used by God to do whatever was asked of her, and she always did these things with the best attitude.  She showed people everyday how to live like Christ and to be happy being a servant.   Another thing I think people learned from her was to never give up and always press on.  To move forward and to keep your eyes looking up toward Jesus.

Focus:   In an article Patty wrote several years ago titled Cancer...again, she said this about facing death-

"The fact that I've chosen to face my own death isn't morbid. From where I stand, it's a great motivator; to do what you've always wanted to do, to spend more time saying hello than waving goodbye, to smile often and cry often because both purify the soul. I guess you could say I've taken a good, hard look at the mystery of death and it's nothing compared to the wonder of life. My gaze has been turned perpetually forward." 

If Patty could be with us today, what other advice do you think she would give to those facing death, illness, heartbreak, or discouragement?

Brian Metzer:  Patty would tell people that God has a perfect plan for their lives.  We may not see His plan or even understand it, but we can be sure that all things work for a greater good and that His plan will bring glory to God.   

Focus:   Patty wrote two wonderful books, Lights of the Veil and Keeper of the Light.  Can you tell us a little about the process she went through to get these stories published?

Brian Metzer:  The work involved in writing and publishing a book is enormous.  I remember after receiving the good news that Patty's book was accepted, it still took 12 months to have the finished work in hand. In that 12 month period there were at least 8 to 10 rewrites. When Patty was in one of these rewrite sessions, her day would start at 5 am and last until 12 midnight.  She wanted it to be the best it could be.  She worked so hard on it and I think it really shows. 

Focus:   We thank God for Patty's life and we are so sorry for your loss.  How can Focus on Fiction and our readers be a support to you and your family?

Brian Metzer:   The thing that would mean the most to my children and myself would be to know that Patty's work is still being read and passed on to people.

It was her desire that her work be used by God to minister to those in need. Her work lives on now, and to have people touched so deeply by it that they want to share it with everyone they know would be the greatest legacy I could hope for.

Focus:   Brian, thank you so much for sharing your heart and your memories with us. 

We close this tribute by offering the following excerpt from the devotional by L.B. Cowman, Streams in the Desert, which challenges us all to live a life like Patty's:

"Let us...call out to one another through the darkness until the night becomes alive with the sound of many voices, encouraging God's weary travelers.  And may the echoes grow into a storm of hallelujahs that will break in thundering waves around His sapphire throne.  Then as the morning dawns, we will find ourselves on the shore of the sea of glass, crying out with the redeemed hosts of heaven, 'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!'"