Thursday, October 20, 2011Tonight's picture was taken in October of 2004 at a Fall Festival in Virginia. As you can see, Peter was introducing Mattie to a goat. Mattie was intrigued by animals and really wanted to watch and pet them. So this festival was right up his alley because it had both fun activities and animals to experience.
Quote of the day: Mourning is one of the most profound human experiences that it is possible to have... The deep capacity to weep for the loss of a loved one and to continue to treasure the memory of that loss is one of our noblest human traits. ~ Shneidman
It is very apparent that Fall is here. Today seemed blustery and cold, and I decided to devote a portion of the day to a project Ann asked me to help her with. I am working on a Halloween mask for her son. The mask itself isn't hard to do, it just requires a lot of fine motor concentration and labor. If I ever complete the project, I will take a picture of it and post it on the blog. I am creating a creeper mask. I must admit I had no idea what a creeper was since I do not have Mattie or his friends around me anymore to keep me current. But a creeper is apparently a green-camouflaged creature that is part of a mindcraft video game. Creepers can not catch on fire in direct sunlight and they can wander around unharmed day and night. So in essence they have a special or super power type of quality. Our modern day version of a super hero.
Making Halloween costumes are nothing new to me. I hand made Mattie's calico cat costume and when he wanted to be an Air Force Pilot, I literally took a child's navy pilot's costume and transformed it into an Air Force costume thanks to the patches my friend Charlie sent me. It would have been easier if Mattie would have accepted being a Navy Pilot that year, but he was adamant that the costume had to reflect the Air Force. Mattie became enamored by the Air Force after visiting Andrews Air Force base's annual open house that spring. So in a way, I am carrying on the Mattie tradition by being involved in Halloween costume construction and alteration.
My mom sent me an article a few days ago entitled, "Oklahoma cancer patient trades her life so her baby could survive." I just read the story today and was deeply moved and troubled by the decision this mother had to make. In a nutshell the decision was..... does she terminate her pregnancy and immediately undergo chemotherapy for her head and neck cancer, or does she forgo treatment so that she can deliver her baby with the hopes of seeing her before she dies? This type of life and death decision is complicated because it involves two lives. I attached the link to this article so you could read it for yourself. As you read the article, I wonder if you would have chosen the same course of action as this mother? She put her unborn child's needs before her own. It just makes you pause and think but it also illustrates to me yet again how powerful the force of parenthood is. It also illustrates to me that cancer is NOT a disease associated with getting older and living a long life. When I was growing up, I was under some sort of delusion that cancer primarily affected older adults. Yet here is this 41 year old mother who developed cancer, had a baby, and her daughter will never have the chance to get to know her mother.
I must say however, that it doesn't surprise me in the least to find out that it was a nurse who made the impossible happen in this story. This nurse knew how much this dying mother wanted to see and touch her baby. The mother was prevented from interacting with the baby because she had an infection that could have compromised the baby's health. However, the nurse worked with various hospital personnel to ensure that this mother spent time with her baby hours before the mother died. If anyone was going to advocate for this and figure it out, I have no doubt it would be a nurse!
The description of how the mother and baby bonded and looked into each other's eyes was deeply moving to me. This last good-bye reminded me of when Peter and I had to say good-bye to Mattie. Just like in this case, words were not needed, the bond was just there, and just like in this story, Peter and I were surrounded by people who were crying and equally disturbed that cancer was severing our family.
Click on this link to read the article: http://newsok.com/article/3613629
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