Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2006 at the Reston Zoo. At first Mattie was a bit concerned about trying to ride the pony, but as you can see, he really liked it and he was smiling so brightly that his eyes were practically closed.
Quote of the day: There's not many things in life that take us through so many emotions at the same time. This whole ordeal has taken us from horror to shock, grief, sadness, joy and happiness and then back to sadness again. ~ Graham Mulligan
Today was a happy day and a sad day all at the same time. My dad celebrated his birthday today, and though I am not a phone person, I had the opportunity to chat with both of my parents. As is typical for parents, they can always tell when something isn't right with me. As my mom could tell, I needed emotional support, which I appreciated her acknowledging and also giving! The sad part of the day happened this evening, when I learned my 11 year old friend, Katharina's bird died. Mattie loved Katharina's bird, and Mattie loved collecting his feathers. For those of us who are pet owners we know how horrible it is to lose a family pet. Especially one that you are so close to. A first major loss like this is so hard for a young child to handle, but in a way having sad feelings and being able to grow from them is an important life lesson. Some hurts we can't take away from our children, they instead have to face them with our support.
I had the opportunity to have tea this morning with my friend Mary. Mary is a fellow preschool mom and was and continues to be very supportive of us and the Foundation. Each spring, she and her girls hand deliver flyers to local stores to publicize our Foundation Walk. I handed Mary 75 flyers today, and naturally I appreciate this HUGE effort. I also learned tonight that Tina (our friend who hosted my birthday party in 2010) and Jane (another preschool friend) got together to brainstorm how to publicize the Walk. I was deeply touched by this self-initiation and their desire to make this event successful. I guess based on my mood, I really needed this piece of information. I told Tina it was like she gave me a gift tonight.
While with Donna today, I was telling her that I needed to create a poster tonight. She brought me into the school's faculty work area and introduced me to an Ellison press machine. Well this was a sight and a match made in heaven for me. It is basically a machine that stamps out stencils. So the machine helped me make the MMCF, the child handprints, stars, and sunshines you see on this poster. In a way, Donna helped me get started with the layout, because once I had these shapes and colors, putting the content together just seemed to come naturally.
I would like to end tonight's posting with two messages. The first message is from Mattie's oncologist and our friend. Kristen wrote, "Peter, so happy to hear you are back at home....but what great stories from Africa. Vicki, today I presented at ODAC (similar to the meeting you attended last November at the FDA) 6 months of preparation..... And now...it is Tuesday and I remember your sweet Mattie...this Tuesday and everyday."
The second message is from my friend and colleague. Nancy wrote, "I am constantly amazed at the simple gifts such as meeting a new person or reconnecting with an old friend can be for a healing heart. Your writing about Ann's friend and his feelings about his two patients and Charlotte's having a prayer said as a Happy Birthday present to Mattie were special. With all of the harsh natural happenings to people and the otherwise negative reporting that goes on in the media, the blog continues to honor and remind everyone of the gentleness, generosity, and love experienced by us 'commoners.' Your writings were short on words this weekend and long on connection. Thank you, once again, for sharing."
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