Tonight's picture was taken in June of 2004. One of Mattie's favorite toys was Mr. Potato Head. As you can see, Mattie was walking around the house with Mr. Potato Head's glasses. Every time Mattie did this he absolutely cracked me up with laughter. Mattie had a very funny side to him. However, he never had to work on being funny, it just came to him naturally.
Quote of the day: Every loss for each family is unique and personal, ... The personal loss within my family has helped me experience the grief and loss that families go through. But one can never put one's self in another's place. Each family's loss and situation is unique. ~ James Kramer
When Peter goes away, it is not only I who miss him. Our cat, Patches, literally pines for him. Patches loves and identifies with Peter, and I am the utility player in the animal relationship! When Peter goes away on travel, Patches literally becomes unglued. She howls at all hours of the day and night, and like clock work she wakes me up by 5am. I try to ignore her, but she makes it very difficult to do this. Patches is a very challenging cat, and it may explain why her previous owner shot her with a BB gun and abandoned her on the streets of Washington, DC before she was one year old. When she landed up on our doorstep, she found the right owner, since I am used to dealing with emotionally challenging situations.
I had the opportunity to talk with Peter today using Skype. Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice calls and chats over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free. It is hard to believe that I was talking to Peter through the computer, hearing his voice, and he sounded like he was in the room next door. After traveling for 24 hours straight, I was thrilled to hear that Peter actually slept last night. He is holding his own symptom wise, and it is my hope with each day, he will experience slight improvements.
Despite our geographical distance apart, we were still working on Foundation items together, and all I can say is thank goodness for technology. It makes staying in touch so much easier, even when we have a six hour time difference separating us.
This afternoon, I also had the opportunity to talk with Toni, Brandon's mom. As my faithful readers know, Brandon was Mattie's big buddy at the Hospital. Toni and her family just got back from a trip to Ireland. She told me while there they felt as if Mattie was somehow present with them. As they were touring around by car one afternoon, they were flipping through radio stations, until all of a sudden a song came on which made them stop in their tracks. I know many of my readers are saying right now...... I KNOW WHAT SONG CAME ON!!!! Sure enough, ABBA's Dancing Queen was on the radio, Brandon and Toni's thoughts were immediately taken back to the fifth floor of the Hospital doing physical therapy with Mattie in the hallways. Toni said this happened on St. Patrick's day, when most of the radio stations were playing Celtic music, however, not this particular station. It instead was playing Mattie's theme song! Also one night as they were touring around Ashford Castle, Toni said it was literally pitch black outside. Except for a very brilliant moon. But this big moon seemed to have a halo around it. Toni said that Brandon turned to her and said, "look mom, there is Mattie again." For so many of us deeply touched by Mattie, we can't hear Dancing Queen without thinking of him, and we can't look at the night sky without thinking of our courageous and precise Mattie Moon. I so appreciated Toni's stories and to hear just how much Mattie impacted her family.
Later today, I went to visit Mary, Ann's mom. We chatted throughout the afternoon, looked at a family album, and I helped her with dinner. The photo album we looked at was very special and it helped to jog her memory about the various occasions in her family's life. Of course, as I was absorbing these pictures I also realized many of the milestones reflected in these pictures I will never experience with Mattie. They are very difficult and sobering realities.
This evening as I said good-bye to Mary, she seemed concerned about me, because of the simple fact that I was going to be alone for two weeks. I did not have to say anything, Mary is good at putting two and two together, and realizing with Mattie and Peter gone, I have no family in DC. That notion she found upsetting. I try not to focus upon it, or discuss it with others, because sometimes my reality isn't always easy to listen to. But Mary is able to verbalize the reality and like me, she is also able to dislike it.
I would like to end tonight's posting with a message I received from my mom. My mom wrote, "Read all about your visit to the Senate and the compliment you received from Brett about your performance comparing you to a professional lobbyist. Why am I not surprised?? You often go out on a limb to tackle amazingly challenging tasks others would not dream of attempting for the daring and daunting nature of their scope. It's what makes your readers breathless for the next installment of the blog and keeps them in awe of your passion for your cause. Why does it have this effect? Readers not accustomed to living on the edge of disaster think that not ever in their wildest dreams could they pirouette like you out on that delicate and fragile branch that you do so willingly to achieve a goal for love. It is a mother's love that emboldens you to cry out to a public that must be awakened to the tragedy you have lived so that you can do justice to Mattie's memory and as important, his lasting legacy in life."
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