Tonight's picture was taken in May of 2009, at the March for a Mattie Miracle. I find it ironic that last year's walk was held on May 9. This year, May 9, a year later, Mattie is gone, and it happens to be Mother's day. This picture was taken during the March's program. Mattie was getting hot, and fortunately someone was smart enough to bring an umbrella and gave it to Brandon and Robbie to protect Mattie from the sun. I love this picture, because you can see Brandon (Mattie's big buddy) and Robbie (one of Mattie's favorite volunteers) were working hard at keeping Mattie engaged and calm most likely while Peter and I were talking in front of him. In typical Mattie fashion, his shoes came off for the event!
Poem of the day: Misunderstandings by Charlie Brown
Sometimes things are said
That are not really meant
Or a comment is mistaken
And a wrong message sent
When this happens between
Two who really care
It is very important
To make sure you clear the air
Sometimes it doesn't matter
Who says "I was wrong"
Just make sure you do it
And don't wait very long
Because you never know
What's coming up around the bend
And few things are sadder
Than the loss of a good friend.
I want to thank many of you who e-mailed us over the course of today with such positive feedback about the NEW logo for the Foundation. Today was a day of connections, and the irony is most of them were done without ever leaving the house. My days are filled with Walk ideas, planning, and the execution of tasks. However, what I have experienced, especially today, is the power of feeling part of a team. A team where everyone is working together for the ultimate goal, which is a successful walk. I have always been a collaborative person, and for some reason today it just clicked with me. I felt as if I was part of something, something that could potentially make a difference.
I started my morning talking to Tamra. Tamra is a friend, Mattie Miracle board member, and a co-coordinator of Walk logistics. Tamra is out of town, helping her daughter pack up her college dorm room for the summer. However, Tamra knew I had some logistic questions, and found a way to connect with me. Many ideas were generated from this phone call conversation, and this stimulated other dialogues that I had with Christine (our Registration Coordinator), Liz (helping brand the Foundation), Alison (on the steering committee for the Walk), and Ann. I actually enjoyed hearing their ideas and different perspectives.
At around lunch time, I decided to see if Peter wanted to get out of the office, into the fresh air and have lunch together. Typically Peter works through lunch, but today, we were fortunately able to meet. It was a beautiful weather day in Washington, DC, and we sat outside at a restaurant, which Peter has told me about but I have never been to. At lunch we talked more about the Walk, the ideas that I had been hearing about during the morning, and the plans for the rest of the day. By the time Peter gets home from work at night, we both seem to be tired. So meeting during the day, when we both had more energy made for a very engaging and productive dialogue.
After lunch, I walked back home. On my journey, I happened to notice a couple in their late seventies having lunch together outside at a restaurant. They were the only couple sitting there. The woman had a sun hat on, and she caught my eye as I was walking by, because she smiled at me. The couple did not seem to be talking with each other, but clearly they looked very happy and content in each other's presence without saying a word. As I looked at her, I smiled back, and I wondered what has this lady seen in her lifetime? Has she seen pain and suffering like me, which is possible, and if so, will Peter and I look like this couple as we age? They seemed happy and at peace, a place that Peter and I are MOST definitely not in.
This evening as I write the blog, I am periodically checking e-mail. I am having another funny e-mail dialogue going back and forth with our friend Carolyn. Carolyn is in charge of the raffle at the Walk, and somehow by the end of the day, we both need a good laugh. Fortunately we never run out of material, and I joke with Carolyn that she supplies me with a much needed dosage of humor therapy!
I would like to end tonight's posting with a message from my friend, Charlie. Charlie wrote, "It seems things are moving along well for the walk. I am not sure that everyone realizes just how much planning, coordination and work go into such an event. Most of the time people just show up and assume things that are supposed to happen will do so. They have no idea what goes on behind the scenes and what it takes to make things go smoothly. We get a glimpse of it from the blog and I have to say I have great respect for you and all those who put in the many, many hours of work to make this happen. I really like the new logo, it is simple and inspiring and it incorporates all the things that are so important to you. Finally, I want to say that I love your mom's poem. She is a brilliant writer and she sees things so well and frames them so beautifully that I can "see" much of what she writes. As I practice today, I will send my positive energy to you to help you to keep going on your projects. I hold you gently in my thoughts."
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