Tonight's picture was taken in November of 2003. Mattie was sitting in a rocking chair that played music when he moved. He loved the whole concept of that chair. But one of the reasons I selected this picture is because Peter captured one of Mattie's favorite poses. Mattie and I loved being cheek to cheek with each other. Mattie's cheeks were so soft and tender, and as I reflect on this picture, I try to remember what those tender moments felt like.
Quote of the day: Great grief does not of itself put an end to itself. ~ Seneca (Roman Philosopher)
Despite going to bed after 2am, I was up before 8am, and felt compelled to do some Foundation paperwork before Karen and I went to a museum. It is fascinating how I sat down at the computer and for several hours was very productive. Somehow this week, maybe for the first time, I felt as if my work for the Foundation has really evolved and is taking on a full time nature. Which is most definitely what I have been striving for. This is a new identity for me, especially since I lost my two others ones... being a mom and being a traditional educator.
Karen and I spent a great deal of time today sitting in my kitchen and chatting. Though we are connected on email, obviously face to face time is quite different, so there is a lot to discuss and reflect upon. We even chatted about memories growing up together. It is interesting to hear about your life from someone else's perspective.
Based on an article I read in the Washington Post, I was interested in seeing the exhibit at the National Museum of Women in the Arts entitled, Eye Wonder. The exhibit is described in the following way, "Women have had a profound impact in photography since its inception. Eye Wonder presents more than one hundred photographs made between 1865 and 2004 that demonstrate how women have long embraced the subjectivity - and even quirkiness - of the camera's eye. Selecting subjects from skyscrapers to silverware, the artists have created compelling images that reflect their unique viewpoints and invite new interpretations."
Though I knew the general vicinity of where the museum was located, when I got off the metro, as is typical for me, I got disoriented. So a simple walk up the block, wasn't so simple. We landed up walking perhaps 8-10 blocks, and making one big circle, until I finally realized where the museum was. It was actually funny, if it wasn't such a sad commentary.
The museum is a very doable gallery to tour in a couple of hours. So we started on the top floor of the museum and meandered our way down to finally see Eye Wonder. They unfortunately would not allow photography in the Eye Wonder exhibit, otherwise I would have posted some interesting pieces on the blog tonight. However, the top floor of the museum was truly hysterical! Karen and I had more fun commenting on the art than actually viewing it. I posted two examples of what I am talking about.
The irony is that I think women have contributed a great deal to the arts, yet attending this exhibit was not a good representation of the talents out there.
One of the photos in the Eye Wonder exhibit, was a picture of 6 little boys sitting around a table in a daycare in Russia. The boys had very short hair cuts and had sullen looks on their faces. Somehow I was struck and disturbed by the photo. Karen said that most likely I felt this way, because the children all looked ill, or like Mattie on chemo. I think that was true. The children looked unhappy and as if all the life and hope had been sucked out of their little bodies. It is actually a haunting picture and remains with me this evening.
At the end of the day, I can say that we got our exercise walking around today, and had time to chat, and make dinner together. Peter joined us after a long day at work, and we shared with him some of our funny sightings from the day. I think he definitely needed a good laugh.
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