My strongest memories of Tom are of his giving to others. He always fully gave his time and attention to others. He lived in the present and others were his present: regardless of who he was with, that person always received his full attention, concern and help. I remember him taking the time out of his busy day to teach neighbourhood kids to fly kites: he wanted to share the joy. He wanted to give more time to his own writing yet he repeatedly took time to tutor and encourage others struggling with their own writing. He supported the local church, not only by tithing, but by giving huge amounts of his time. He served on several committees, organized and ran the Bible study group, initiated a mission-statement review group, and responded to the endless demands to fix the sound system, design bulletins and do other volunteer tasks, even wash dishes at fundraising dinners.