Tonight's picture was taken in June of 2008, at Bethesda's arts and craft festival. This picture was taken a month before Mattie was diagnosed with cancer. As you can see in this picture, Mattie decided to paint a flower pot and was really enjoying the whole process. Mattie was always about the process and loved the opportunity to create and use happy and bright colors.
Quote of the day: People think they know you. They think they know how you're handling a situation. But the truth is no one knows. No one knows what happens after you leave them, when you're lying in bed or sitting over your breakfast alone and all you want to do is cry or scream. They don't know what's going on inside your head--the mind-numbing cocktail of anger and sadness and guilt. This isn't their fault. They just don't know. And so they pretend and they say you're doing great when you're really not. And this makes everyone feel better. Everybody but you. ~ William H. Woodwell Jr
Peter and I spent the day in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. It was SUCH a wonderful way to see Rehoboth because is was NOT congested and wall to wall people. We are at the beach before the summer season begins, and it has been simply delightful. We had the opportunity to chat with many shop owners and learn about the patterns of vacationers who come to their town and how they make their livelihood. I entered one store and was surrounded by butterflies. Butterfly suncatchers, cards, jewelry boxes, tiles, you name it, and it was there! As the day has worn on however, I have developed a cold and a fever, so I am spending the night trying to relax and regroup. I am sharing our day with you visually!
Though it is quite early in the season, I was thrilled to see one of my favorite sea shore birds, the Piping Plover. What I love about the plover is its grace, agility, and tenaciousness. This is a bird with long legs, legs which apparently do NOT like to get wet. As the water rolls onto the shore this bird literally runs away from it. However, as the waves roll back into the ocean, the plover runs back out looking for crabs burrowing in the sand. This running game can happen for hours during feeding time.
As we continued walking, we ran into this transparent crab, or otherwise affectionately called a "ghost crab." I am not sure who was more startled, the crab or me! Nonetheless, this crab was literally looking right at the camera for this picture. 
Here is the sight we see each evening during sunset on Bethany Beach!
Peter took a picture of me on the boardwalk of Rehoboth Beach. The irony is in a few weeks, every inch of space behind me will be filled with people. 
Along our shopping journey in Rehoboth, I entered a small store that captured my attention from the window. The store was filled with all sorts of shells and unique beachy jewelry. At first the store owner was on the phone, but when she saw us enter, she ended her call and apologized for being distracted and not greeting us initially. Needless to say, Linda, the owner, and I began talking for a while and I got to meet her husband and hear about her 4 grown up daughters. She features handcrafted jewelry made by an artist in Florida. I love glass pieces, and this particular piece caught my attention because it reminded me of Mattie's adopted Sea Turtle, Roxana. Mattie loved Roxana and also enjoyed getting updates about her. So in honor of Roxana and all the joy she brought Mattie, I bought this piece. The turtle itself is made of Dichronic or aluminized glass. This type of glass was developed by NASA as a protective coating. It has an uncanny quality to capture and reflect a rainbow of colors. The picture doesn't do the turtle justice, because in the light, it looks blue and also purple!I would like to end tonight's posting with a message from our new friend, Amy. Amy's daughter, Caroline, spent a great deal of time in the hospital, when Mattie was at Georgetown. Though I never met Amy, she has and continues to be supportive of us electronically. I had the pleasure of meeting Amy and her family at this year's Walk, and her message meant a lot to me, which is why I am sharing with you. Amy wrote, "Just a quick email to let you both know how wonderful the walk was. My daughter Caroline still talks about it, and asked just the other day if we could go again to "Mattie's Walk" next year and I said of course we will! (She happens to be wearing her t-shirt to school today! It doesn't hurt that orange is her favorite color!) The whole day made quite an impression on us all. The grounds were perfect and the setting bucolic. Even the rain held off for Mattie's day - only a little drizzle to cool us off when we most needed it! The activities kept all of the children occupied and entertained - it was truly a family-friendly event. I have to say that all of the speeches that day moved me to tears. Those children were absolutely amazing. And the posters around the track were very compelling. My HOPE beads are on my key chain as a reminder of Mattie and the other children who I learned about that day. I have so much awe and amazement for parents such as yourself, who have experienced a loss that is incomprehensible, and manage to do such good for others. And I really appreciate your emphasis on the psychosocial needs of children who are ill - I think that the medical staff is so focused on the physical side that the emotional implications are sometimes lost. The Child Life program does such good for all of the children who go inpatient at Georgetown."
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