For my birthday/Christmas present three years ago Byron surprised me with a trip on a cruise to Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. It was the most fun I had ever had on a vacation and he introduced me to some of the kindness people that he had know and met years before on his previous trips. Everyday we spent time chatting, laughing, enjoying ourselves on the high seas. We were relaxed and just free of all worry and concerns back home. We ate dinner every night with a different group of people and ended up making long lasting friends with many. I remember on the ride home after the cruise was over him asking me how I enjoyed the cruise. I stated that it was amazing to me that so many were interested in getting to know me. He made fun of the fact that by Day 3 of the cruise we could not walk across the ship without people calling my name or asking Bryon where I was if they saw him but did not see me. I stated yeah that was weird and I was not used to that. He simply said, " That's because you don't know your self worth". He said, "for too long you have walked through life not knowing your value and what others really see in you." He said, " just like myself, we are not friends because of what I give you, we are friends because of what you give me and how you show the world how to live with kindness, grace, and unconditional love." I cried in the car hearing those words because no one had ever valued me as such to speak those words. I truly hope that he knows what he did for this little boy who grew up poor and was always looking for acceptance. There will never be another in my life like Bryon Patterson. And I am very grateful for the time that he chose to include me in his life. I will never be the same.