Tonight's picture was taken in September of 2008. This was before Mattie had any of his surgeries, and was still able to move around and walk independently. I was playing music off of my laptop computer and Mattie was thoroughly enjoying dancing to the tunes. Clearly being attached to an IV pump did not slow him down! Also notice in the background were several cardboard boxes near the door. Mattie trained the Georgetown Staff early on that all packing boxes should not be thrown away, but instead used to develop a Mattie creation!
Poem of the day: The Words of a Child by Charlie Brown
The words of a child speak wisdom
For in his heart is truth
He knows the meaning of friendship
In a way that adults have lost
Willing to admit to love
Not worrying about the words
Holding on to the feelings
Knowing death is not the end
So when you have the chance
To attend to the words of a child
Don't dismiss them for their simplicity
But embrace them for their truth.
As is typical with my delayed reaction to things, I am now feeling the after math of having the Walk behind me. Planning the Walk kept me extremely busy, interacting with people, and focused on a goal and objective. With that behind me, I find that I am exhausted and also experiencing grief on a grander scale. For some reason today, I had flashbacks of Mattie experiencing pain, and how Peter and I had to manage this pain with pain pumps attached to Mattie at home. I am not sure why my mind wondered there, but it did.
I spent the entire day doing chores, from laundry to cleaning out one of my closets. When Mattie was diagnosed with cancer and beyond, I let things around me just pile up. My closets are jammed packed with things, and my clothes closets, which used to be so organized, were in shambles. So much so that for almost two years now, my clothes have been stacked all around me. Though Mattie has been gone for 8 months, I hadn't addressed this problem until today. I spent hours on this one project, and though my clothes are back within a closet, there is still so much around me that needs to be organized. But I can only take on one project at a time.
I would like to share five pictures with you tonight that were taken by Jeff, Charlotte's Dad. Jeff was our official Walk photographer and he captured the posters (which were 2 feet by 3 feet in size) which Peter and I developed and were placed around the track. So while walkers were doing their laps, they got to read about our Foundation's goals in a very simplified format. Notice the adorable photos in the "C" track poster. These four children, Mattie being included, ALL died from osteosarcoma in 2009! Sammie, Emma, Keaton, and Mattie suffered tremendously, and now all these families are left with the aftermath of losing a child to cancer.
I would like to end tonight's posting with a message from my friend, Charlie. Charlie wrote, "Thank you for continuing to share the pictures of the walk with us. As you said the energy level of the attendees, particularly the children comes through very well. I agree with Nancy and Christine that you listen better to children than virtually anyone else I know. That is demonstrated quite clearly by the reactions of the children who choose to share their feelings and confidences with you. True listening honors the teller and the listener; we rarely give or get that gift in our lives as adults and even less so as children since adults tend to dismiss or only half listen to what children say. What we often fail to see is what a gift we are given in return when we take the time to really listen, and not work to prepare our response or our own sharing, but just listening, accepting the words, the feelings and the intentions of the "teller." May this gift never leave you, and thank you for sharing it with us. I hold you gently in my thoughts."
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