Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Tuesday, November 15, 2011 -- Mattie died 114 weeks ago today.

Tonight's picture was taken in the Fall of 2005. Margaret, Mattie's first preschool teacher, snapped this picture of Mattie. In fact, I can still recall seeing this picture for the first time and being amazed that Mattie held this carving tool and was chopping away at the pumpkin. I must admit, I would have been nervous about giving Mattie any sort of tool to use back then, but what I learned early on was Mattie had very good fine motor skills. Which is why, with supervision, as a preschooler he used a screwdriver, a hammer, and a hot glue gun. In fact, I learned how to use a hot glue gun from Mattie, it wasn't the other way around. Mattie loved pumpkins and I think Margaret captured him so well in the moment.


Quote of the day: I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge - myth is more potent than history - dreams are more powerful than facts - hope always triumphs over experience - laughter is the cure for grief - love is stronger than death. ~ Robert Fulghum


I have come to one conclusion in life. Things happen because of who you know and the relationships you develop over time. Each day, I remain focused and committed to telling Mattie's story and our experiences through the process of grief. It is through our stories that the mission and focus of Mattie Miracle become transparent to others and our community. One of Peter's colleagues at work has a fiance who works for a company called Perfect Foods bar (http://www.perfectfoodsbar.com/). Will approached us about the opportunity to help sponsor nutritious snacks for the Hospital family snack cart that we are sponsoring at Georgetown University Hospital. However, through Will's connections, he introduced us to Brittany, the health education specialist at Whole Foods in Alexandria, VA. Today I had the opportunity to meet Will and Brittany in person.

We had a two hour meeting together in which we shared personal stories, got to know one another, and then I got to hear about what both of these professionals could do to help Mattie Miracle. In fact, at one point, Will said, "yes we can do that, but what else..." I frankly haven't met that many people like Will and Brittany, who want to brainstorm with me, are so giving of their time and expertise, and want to promote us and our cause. They genuinely want to make a difference, and as the ideas were flying, I realized quickly we needed another meeting to truly dig deeper into their suggestions.

But here is the exciting news. Mattie Miracle is going to host a fundraiser at Whole Foods in Alexandria, VA. Whole Foods holds a 5% Day fundraiser where they select a non-profit partner and on the selected event date, 5% of the day’s sales are donated directly to the non-profit. These 5% Day fundraisers are held four times a year. I learned that getting selected is a very competitive process and thanks to Will, we were brought to Brittany's attention right away. We are SO grateful for this opportunity and will be getting to work on marketing and promoting this event. But for my local readers, mark your calendar for Wednesday, January 25, 2012. This will be a Mattie Miracle day at Whole Foods in Alexandria, and we encourage you to shop and eat at the store that day. As you know our fundraisers help generate money to support the psychosocial needs and services of children and their families battling cancer. Please tell your friends about January 25. Peter and I will be at Whole Foods that entire day interacting with the public, and we are working on materials and give aways as I am writing tonight's blog!

I would like to end tonight's posting with two messages. The first message is from Mattie's oncologist and our friend. Kristen wrote, "Thinking of you on this Tuesday and everyday!"

The final message is from my friend and colleague. Nancy wrote, "As today marks another week without Mattie, the blog features many interesting observations. One is that today I imagine the count will be much higher as many of the faithful readers want to support you especially on this day by clicking on and reading about your day. Secondly, the work that the Foundation is getting involved in reflects the enormity of its scope and relevance. Going for bulk mail status can be a challenge and although it took a bit for you to get all the ins and outs of the procedure, you are conscious of the cost factor to your organization. Thirdly, I was so glad to read of Peter's lunch. It is important that we understand a loved one's motivation for 'feeling their feelings, their way' and another to show them that they still deserve to be honored on their ' special' day. Fourth, the class created a very memorable event for the parents currently going through the turmoil of taking care of their child and maintaining their own stamina. Kudos to them and to Prof. Bob for choosing the Foundation as a project focus for this semester. This is a fabulous way to get fresh ideas to support the families of the hospital.  I wasn't surprised to read that your grief is different. The longer that you are without Mattie, the more real it is not having him with you. I really liked what Charlie said yesterday, in response to your 'forgetting' Mattie's picture. Knowing that others really understand how you feel and to visibly see that Mattie has impacted so many lives is a reminder that you are not alone. I say this because you mentioned not feeling part of events sometimes. As you know when a person experiences a loss so deep as you both have, the greatest challenge is to go on living. I'm glad that you still have times when you show your emotions 'in the moment.' It is a sign of your humanity and depth of your loss. It is your genuineness coming through."