Sunday, October 30, 2011Tonight's picture was taken in October of 2007. Mattie was five and a half, in kindergarten, and was very excited about all the festivities associated with Halloween at his school. Mattie's lower school hosts a Halloween parade on October 31, and Mattie was thrilled to be able to show off his costume and to see the other costumes on display. That year Mattie chose to be an air force pilot, after he was enamored by his trip that spring to Andrews Air Force base. The challenging part about all of this was the only kids costume I could find was of a Navy pilot. So literally, I landed up removing the Navy patches on the jump suit, and thanks to my friend Charlie (a former Lt. Colonel in the Air Force), I was able to stitch in Air Force patches onto the costume. In addition, my neighbors found this adorable hat for Mattie, in which I attached more Air Force patches, and by the time we were finished, Mattie was a great looking pilot. It took many of us that year to complete this costume, and I am so happy my friends helped me, because Mattie knew the difference between a Navy and an Air Force pilot, and wanted to be accurate.
Quote of the day: The lines of giving are complicated, you never know how it will come back. But you have to give because you can't let the cord break with you. ~ Maria Diarra Keita
This is the second weekend in a row that Peter and I went to the movies. Totally unheard of for me! My parents and Karen recommended another movie to us, Moneyball. They knew Peter would love it because it focuses upon the game of baseball. However, because of the story line, they felt I would like it too. They were correct! I must admit though, through Peter, I have seen enough Red Sox games on TV, to have a feeling for the game and the stresses associated with playing.
Moneyball is based on a true story, which is most likely why it captured my attention. The published synopsis of the movie is:
Oakland A's General Manager Billy Beane is handicapped with the lowest salary constraint in baseball. If he ever wants to win the World Series, Billy must find a competitive advantage. Billy is about to turn baseball on its ear when he uses statistical data to analyze and place value on the players he picks for the team.
Bennett Miller, the movie's director said the following, "It is very much a film about baseball, but I saw it as a film about a guy whose life did not turn out the way it was supposed to …the way it had been described to him. He had a destiny that he was going to be great and it took him more than a decade before he accepted that things were not going to happen and now he could accept that this is his life or he could begin to question what had happened."
The premise of this movie, whether you are a baseball player or not, speaks deeply to all of us as human beings. We all have some sort of expectation, hope, or plan with regard to how we see our life unfolding and what our future will look like. Unfortunately our dreams do not always become a reality, in fact, some times life throws you a curve, and then what happens? It is easy to give up, lose faith, hope, focus, and determination. In fact I would say it is much harder to regain control and direction in your life when an expectation is NOT met than it is to actually make a dream come true. So though I do not have the foggiest clue about baseball, I related to the main character in the story, and admired his ability and courage to think differently and always stand by his convictions to make a difference. In fact, if you see the movie, you may be disappointed with the final outcome in the story. After all, we are programmed by society to believe the most successful person earns the most money! But Brad Pitt's character, Billy Beane, helps us understand that there is more to life than earning $12.5 million dollars. In fact, sometimes it is about loyalty to others and self, and changing the mindset of a particular industry (which is NO easy undertaking with professional baseball, or sports in general).
To read more about Moneyball, click on this link:
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/arts-and-entertainment/movies/drama/In-Moneyball-Baseball-Manager-Builds-Winning-Team-the-Unconventional-Way--130567918.html
As we are on the eve of Halloween, it is hard not to stop and think about Mattie and the loss in our lives. Today, Peter and I were both in Mattie's room, and as we were glancing around at his things, we realized we had to leave the room. No comments were necessary. As children all around the U.S. tomorrow dress up and acknowledge the day, we can't help but reflect on yet another event Mattie will be missing. A day which continues to remind us that we lost Mattie and we are no longer parents. Each season provides its own overwhelming challenges for us, and the Fall is filled with so many obstacles from the beginning of school, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and let's not talk about Christmas. For others around us, their worlds continue, they evolve, grow, and change, and for us, our world stopped on September 8, 2009. Yes will plug along each day, and most people would say we are functioning and accomplishing. Yet there is a difference between being these things and feeling alive.
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