Tonight's picture coincides with last night's picture. Both were taken in July of 2003, during Mattie's first trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. In last night's picture you observed Peter and Mattie climbing the spiral staircase to the top of Corolla Light. Whereas tonight's picture shows them after they reached the top. As you can see Mattie looked upset. He was upset, because despite the heat and the stillness below, at the top of the lighthouse it was very windy, and he wasn't happy about that at all. The ironic part was Peter was smiling in the picture, but I remember him being extremely overheated from climbing up all those stairs with Mattie on his back.
Quote of the day: Grief drives men into habits of serious reflection, sharpens the understanding, and softens the heart. ~ John Adams
This Tuesday marks the 73rd week that Mattie has been gone from our lives. Somehow Tuesdays may just never be the same for me. Throughout the day, I was touched to receive several Mattie memory emails.
For example, my friend, Tanja, sent me a message, and in her message she stated, "I think it is not a coincidence that he was called Mattie Moon and that he loved the sun. Both of these natural elements are with us every day and everyone who got to know Mattie will always remember him when they see the sun and/or the moon." As Mattie's mom, I naturally feel this way when I see the sun and the moon, but it is a special feeling, knowing that I am NOT alone. That others too are thinking of my Mattie, when the sun shines brightly or when the moon sets the night sky aglow.
The other message that I received today was from a mom at Mattie's elementary school. Her daughter and Mattie were in the same kindergarten class together. This mom wanted me to know that her daughter thinks of Mattie often and remembers him as being "inclusive." In fact, the little girl stated that Mattie "never wanted another child to feel lonely or be by him or herself." She admired that trait in Mattie. I don't know about you, but hearing this feedback from Mattie's peer, actually made me stop and reflect. It made me pause because I agree with her, Mattie was definitely like that, but I am truly impressed by her ability to observe that, remember that, and to attach that special quality to Mattie. As parents we try to teach our children certain values, and to me being inclusive is important. Mattie and I had many teachable moments together on playgrounds over the years, and what today's email showed me, was all those moments of modeling appropriate behaviors paid off. Mattie integrated what he learned and incorporated it into his daily routine. It became a part of him. In any case, this memory from Mattie's classmate brought a smile to my face today, and a tear to Peter's!
On a lighter note, yet a meaningful one, I received an email today from my dad. He forwarded me Charles Schulz' philosophy on the important people in our lives. As you know, Mr. Schulz was the creator of the Peanuts comic strip. I think we all fall into the trap sometimes of striving for the medal, the certificate, the award, and recognition (which I am not implying is a bad thing per se), but at the end of the day, you do not need these things to be a good person, to do the right thing, to help someone in your life, and to make a difference. In fact, it is most likely the everyday things that you do, that are probably most memorable to those in your life.
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The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip.
You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them.
Just read the e-mail straight through, and you'll get the point.
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4 Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
The point is, none of us remembers the headliners of yesterday.
These are no second-rate achievers.
They are the best in their fields.
But the applause dies..
Awards tarnish.
Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.
Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special!!
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
Easier?
The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials..
the most money...or the most awards. They simply are the ones who care the most
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I would like to end tonight's posting with a message I received from my mom today. I had told her I came across a letter, this weekend while cleaning my desk, that she wrote to me when I was pregnant with Mattie. In essence these are her thoughts to my finding this letter. My Mom wrote, "You reminded me of the letter I wrote to you when you announced that you were pregnant. I wanted to be in Washington with you so much that 9/11 would not deter me and I convinced Daddy to take Amtrak. That in of itself was an experience traveling across the country on a train that had its share of mini-disasters that included a derailment, a suicide, a fire and a missed connection. But, I was determined to be as close to the new baby within you as I could the minute I found out. That impulse to be with Mattie never left me and accounted for my learning to be bi-coastal and loving it. I even flew shortly after 9/11 when the airports were empty and so were the planes. Most people had better sense than to tempt the fates. But where Mattie was concerned, my top priority was to be with him and I refused to let the terrorists get to me! When you reported that you were going through your desk and found the letter, it brought back fond memories of a beautiful time when Daddy and I were anxiously anticipating Mattie's arrival.The letter is a document that reveals how much I loved Mattie even before he was born and in retrospect, even though heartache ensued, it turned out to be a memorable everlasting love that I will cherish forever."
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