Wednesday, June 15, 2011Tonight's picture was taken in September of 2007. As you can see, Mattie and Peter rode out on the Potomac River in a canoe. Mattie was all about the adventure, and during these boating trips, Peter taught Mattie how to fish. Mattie actually liked to fish and to my recollection usually caught something on each outing. However, Mattie and Peter never kept the fish, they would always release it soon after it was caught.
Quote of the day: The love of gardening is a seed that once sown never dies. ~ Gertrude Jekyll
My dad sent me this quote today and like most quotes it seems to have a much deeper meaning behind it than what you initially read on the surface. Prior to Mattie developing cancer and dying, I certainly liked plants, flowers, and gardening. But when Mattie died, somehow my deep love for him had to go somewhere. So now the nurturing and care that I used to provide to him, is transferred to gardening. I maintain two gardens over the summer, one at our home and the other at Ann's house. I am fortune that Ann allows me to pick the plants that I want and to take up as much space planting as I would like. So when I read this quote and apply it to myself, I interpret it as the love I have for Mattie and that Mattie had for me has created everlasting seeds within me that inspire and motivate me to nurture and create my gardens.
I spent a portion of my day finishing up Ann's Garden. Yesterday and today have been without humidity, so being outside for extended periods of time is very easy. I decided to post six pictures tonight, so you can see what I have been up to. Notice the glass yellow sun that I incorporated into the garden. Both of my gardens this year have the sun and butterflies well represented in them. 
Soon after Mattie died, and Ann's father died, she received a tile from a friend with a message on it about miracles. Last year I incorporated that tile into Ann's Garden (as you can see in the picture). I am not sure how I feel about the notion of miracles, mainly because living and surviving through childhood cancer has a way of making you a non-believer. Nonetheless, as I plant and am inspired by Mattie, and I reflect on the fact that his Foundation is called Mattie Miracle, this tile seems to be an important and meaningful part of this garden. 
There are two flower beds that I maintain at Ann's house. This is one of them!
This is the second flower bed! 
I brought this metal butterfly back from our beach trip, and to me it adds a certain level of color and whimsy to Ann's Garden. Though I am very fond of azaleas, I decided to take on Ann's three big bushes this week and I chopped them back significantly to make room for more plants and color. 
This final picture features a pretty painted flower pot on the right. This flower pot has a major story behind it, which I won't reveal here. This and so many other things I do not write about on the blog, yet I plan on incorporating this story into a book. Since I do believe Mattie's story needs to be told on a grander scale, and in telling Mattie's story it tells my story as well. Since he was and still is a central part of my life. Last year I gave Ann this painted flower pot and in it I planted a burning bush. A burning bush has great spiritual significance and it is green in the spring and summer and turns a burning red color in the fall!
Later on today, I visited with Mary, Ann's mom. Mary's roommate is getting used to my company today as well. As I mentioned a day or so ago, Mary's roommate can be challenging, so much so that her caregivers are sometimes frustrated or intimated by her. Any case, this afternoon, Mary's roommate was screaming in pain. So after a period of time, I decided to encourage her to let me help her. Mary's roommate has lost the ability to control her body. Meaning she may want to move her feet, but her brain just can't process that message and move her body parts. She gets very frustrated by this, as anyone of us would! So her head was slumped in one position and her knees were like dead weights against each other and the pressure was hurting her legs. So again I talked her through the problem and told her what I was going to do before doing it. I moved her legs and repositioned her head, and soon there after she fell asleep. Actually spending time with Mary and her roommate, further confirms for me that in the grand scheme of life it is the connections, the TIME we make for one another to listen and communicate that is special and memorable. It isn't the tasks! Because tasks are things and things are forgettable, but emotions and feelings last a lifetime. Sure Mary's roommate maybe cognitively impaired and may not know who I am per se tomorrow, but she is sharp enough to respond to one's tone of voice and my willingness to treat her as a person.
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