Sunday, December 18, 2011

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Tonight's picture was taken in December 2002. Mattie was eight months old and this was his first Christmas. Sometimes as new parents we did not know if we were coming or going that first year. Mattie seemed to always be awake and rarely slept, and it wasn't until I read several books about how to get your child to sleep did we finally accomplish this feat at 16 months old. Despite being sleep deprived, as most new parents are, Mattie was the center of our attention and universe. Mattie, not unlike our cat Patches, was fascinated by our Christmas tree, the glimmer and shine from the lights and ornaments were exciting! Yet Mattie was the kind of kid that just seemed to understand danger and the need to be cautious. Though I did child proof some things, I really did not need to. Once I said not to go to a particular place or touch something, he listened. Which is interesting in and of itself, since Mattie was high energy, bright, and curious.

Quote of the day:We must become the change we want to see. ~ Mahatma Gandhi

I am not sure why leaving home and DC can be very emotionally laden for me. But it is. Yet staying there for the holidays isn't feasible either. So vacations are a real quandary for me. In the midst of dealing with all these emotions today, which put me in a funk, I received a truly beautiful email from my friend and colleague, Lisa. Lisa wanted me to know that when she is going through a difficult time, she thinks about Peter and I, and it helps to put things into perspective. Lisa is a faithful blog reader and a gifted educator and researcher. So when she told me today that I was her hero, I was beyond stunned and deeply touched. Her message brought me to tears because I do not view myself in the way that Lisa does. I consider myself an ordinary person who was forced to do the extraordinary, and through supporting Mattie through cancer and in his death, I feel like I have gained certain insights and perspectives that are important to share with others and also I need to share them for my own stability.

Peter and I landed safely in Ft. Lauderdale this evening. The plane was fully packed with people and we had a flight attendant who was VERY memorable. He brought his Boston Terrier aboard the flight and kept taking the dog out and holding her. In fact, the dog greeted all of us as we were entering on the plane. I am definitely an animal lover, but even I was taken aback by the fact that this flight attendant was holding this dog while the dog was licking his hands and face. ALL OVER! The concept of him then serving food to the rest of us was not appealing.

As we were landing in Ft. Lauderdale, I handed Peter the camera. The sight was just so beautiful, I wanted him to capture it. I love how Ft. Lauderdale has so many inlets and water ways. To the left of the airplane wing is Sawgrass Recreation Park. It is ironic that we flew over this today since in December of 2007, we took Mattie to this park and there he went on his first fan boat ride, in which we saw alligators in the wild. Mattie LOVED it!

Beautiful Ft Lauderdale! When we landed it was in the 70s. As we were driving to the hotel, all I could think of is why would someone ever leave Florida to come north? To me seeing greenery and being able to live outdoors throughout the year seems like the ideal way to live.

We met up with my parents tonight, who had a safe flight from Los Angeles to Florida. Though we are all exhausted, we had a nice dinner together and will board the Island Princess tomorrow at noon. So the next time you hear from me, will be from sea.