This picture was taken in the summer of 2007. Mattie was five years old, and was enrolled in a soccer summer camp. The camp met daily for one hour a week. Parents were encouraged to stay, and you can see Mattie in the blue shirt running after a ball. His buddy, Gabe (red shirt and baseball hat), was right along side him. Gabe and Mattie met at preschool and had a fun time connecting in camp.
Poem of the day: The Dream by Charlie Brown
Son, I saw you in a dream
And we were holding hands
We are forever connected
Heart to heart with golden bands
At first you were strong
Healthy and well
But I saw in my heart
The cancer death knell
Even though you are gone
Somehow you're still here
And when I least expect it
You show me you're near
So my beloved young son
Be my guiding star
Visit me in dreams
And don't stray too far
In the changing of seasons
I will watch for your signs
Bugs, birds and butterflies
Show me your designs
I know you are here with me
No matter where I go
Watching me from up above
Through heaven's wide window.
I began my morning with a conversation through Skype with Peter. He filled me in on his meetings, and in passing he mentioned he was going to a certificate signing ceremony tomorrow. I naturally had no idea what he was talking about, but since he made it sound important, I felt the need to seek clarification. It turns out, that when an employee completes a training workshop in Rwanda, at the end a certificate is received. However, you don't only receive the certificate, there is a ceremony and a party associated with it. At first, I couldn't believe what I was hearing, because I thought to myself, if every time in the States someone completed a workshop or training, a certificate was received, there would be parties every day. But then Peter explained to me that Rwanda takes great pride in any form of education and such accomplishments need to be acknowledged. That stopped me in my tracks, because what I could hear him in essence saying is that there was great pride each person took in the training, and the completion of the training. It was not training for training sake, or going through the motions. In a way the training was a reflection on the character of the person. That type of work ethic and pride, I feel, is lacking in parts of our American culture.
I had the opportunity to have a lovely lunch today with Margaret (my friend and Mattie's first preschool teacher), and Margaret's mother in law, Helen. We met at the famous and historic Tabard Inn in Washington, DC. It was an extremely hot day in DC, and I decided since I don't like parking in DC, I would take the Metro. That was an experience to remember. The train car I was on had absolutely no air conditioning. It felt like I was traveling in a moving oven. If that was not bad enough, when I got out at Dupont Circle, the escalators up to the street were not working. I literally walked up 130 steps in the intense heat. I passed some people along the way, who needed to stop on the steps and catch their breaths. Totally understandable!
However, the trip was well worth it. The Tabard Inn was like taking a journey back in time. It had a European elegance to it, that we so miss in most of our daily dining experiences. The food and company were wonderful, and as always when I am with Margaret, we never have a lack of conversation. It was special to meet her mother in law, who is 86 years old, and is quite spunky with a positive attitude on life.
I spent the evening with Mary, Ann's mom. Mary was happy to see me, and enjoys having dinner with me sitting by her side. After dinner, I explained to Mary that I had a conference call I had to participate on. So I told her I would stay at the assisted living facility and make the call, and after I was done, I would come to her room and say good-bye. After an hour's call, I packed up my things and headed to Mary's room. Mary was in bed, but wide awake and awaiting my arrival. She said she couldn't go to bed unless she said good night to me. I brought Mary a piece of a chocolate mouse cake tonight and she reflected on that and then made a request for a whole wheat bagel tomorrow. She seemed excited by that prospect. As Mary said good night, she asked me two questions. She wanted to know if I ever considered being a medical doctor? She went on to say that I have a very good bedside manner. My joke in response to her questions was I should have been a nurse. I think in Mary's day medical doctors may of had the time to spend to talk and get to know patients, but now it is a number and time game (for many doctors, certainly NOT all, I met the rare few at Georgetown). So if I had to enter the medical profession today, I would choose to be a nurse. From my observation, nurses work extremely hard, and do an inordinate amount of the work within a hospital setting, but the component that is near and dear to my heart is the emotional connection a nurse can make with his/her patient. Mary just listened to my response. Her next question, was not really a question, but more of a statement. Her statement is that I must be an angel! I told her I wasn't an angel, but that I am happy she feels comfortable with me when Ann is away.
I would like to share some more candid photos of children from the Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation Walk. There are so many wonderful photos to select from. Hope you enjoy these!
I would like to end tonight's posting with a message from my friend, Charlie. Charlie wrote, "How wonderful that although Peter is away he can connect with you and share his trip via Skype. I've read some books about Rwanda and as Peter says, they do call it the land of 1000 hills and one million smiles. Although life in Rwanda is hard and there is little technology and few if any, time saving "devices", they seem to have far more time than we do in our society to personally connect to other people. I am sure Peter will return with good "people" stories to share with you. I know Mary was glad to see you yesterday. Funny how she focused on golden oreos in that drink, it has to make one wonder. As I practice today, I send you my energy to help you continue along your path while Peter is away. I hold you gently in my thoughts."
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