Quiet Moments

About the Book

"Quiet Moments" is the lifelong story of Patty Jo Riddick-Pulley. She was an amazingly talented, loving, and giving person. All who met her soon loved her. With a unique aura of peace and serenity about her, she appropriately spent many years serving the church. Nothing made her happier than honoring God by singing, writing music, and being the best example of a Christian that she could be each day.

Unfortunatley, she was too giving and understanding, too accepting of what she considered to be her destiny. Worst of all, she was fearful of failure, both too proud and ashamed to admit defeat; too hard working and able to cope, and too quiet about her life behind closed doors. All of those qualities combined enabled Patty Jo to be a talented actress who would not let famiily and friends know her true needs.

Patty Jo disappeared and died many years before she should have. Secrets, selfishness, sickness and lies killed her. In a way, it could be said that her entire adult life away from the core of her family was a mystery. Piece by painful piece, that mystery slowly came to light in quiet moments of faith between her disappearance and recovery. Although we eventually acquired many facts about her life, disappearance and death, our hearts will never truly comprehend all that contributed to the painful mystery that changed our lives forever.

About the Author

A current resident of Northeastern North Carolina, Connie Smithson was born in Elizabeth City, N.C. and spent most of her childhood in Perquimans County, N.C. Mrs. Smithson is the niece of the late Patty Jo Riddick-Pulley and currently works in Child Protective Services at the Department of Social Serivces in Gates County, N.C. Mrs. Smithson has two boys, ages 14 and 18 years old and is a graduate of College of the Albemare with a two year Associate of Arts degree. Mrs. Smithson is also a graduate of Elizabeth City State Univeristy with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice. Since the disappearance of her aunt, Patty Jo Riddick-Pulley in 1999 and learning that her aunt's disappearance was not a random kidnappping, but rather an act of murder which resulted from years of Domestic Violence, Mrs. Smithson began writing Quiet Moments as a form of emotional healing while making it her goal to become an advocate for Domestic Violence.