Sunday, February 5, 2012Tonight's picture was taken in February of 2009. Mattie was in the Lombardi clinic and working that day with clay and a pottery wheel. With Mattie was Jenny, his art therapist, and Whitney, one of Mattie's favorite childlife interns. Art was a vital component of Mattie's life and thank goodness he had it, because it served him well during his 14 month battle. Art helped us connect with others in the hospital in profound ways. In fact, as I walked into the Hospital on Friday, and went down the Childlife Art gallery on the first floor of the hospital, I passed by Mattie's essay on display about his Lego model Hospital Room that he designed. Linda put the essay on a poster, had it framed, and Linda acknowledged that it was written by Mattie Brown. Mattie's presence lives on, in both the first floor (in this essay) and on the fifth floor (in the pediatrics welcome sign) of Georgetown University Hospital.
Quote of the day: The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time. ~ Abraham Lincoln
Today I was suffering with another bad migraine. Since the day Mattie was born, and I was in labor with him, I have not experienced a truly headache free day. I don't even know what that feels like anymore. I have been dealing with headaches for a decade now. Some days are more manageable than others. I spent a good part of the day resting, though that did not help.
This afternoon, I joked with Peter about his relationship with our cat, Patches. Patches follows Peter all over our home. If he is upstairs, she is upstairs, if he goes downstairs, so does she! Patches has a special bond with him and I said I need an animal who feels connected to me in this same way. We both laughed especially after saying I wanted a border collie (which for those who know dogs, know this is a beautiful dog, but a dog that needs to be worked, played with, and challenged). Peter then paused to say that I had that special one of a kind bond with Mattie. It is true. Mattie was close to Peter and I in different ways, but there was no doubt that Mattie was my son. He was emotional like I am, and we understood each other without using words. We also defended each other and the love we shared was in its own way intense and unique. Those who knew us well, were very aware of our connection. It is hard to lose such a deep connection and bond in your life, and what it comes down to is it is NOT replaceable.
Ann invited Peter and I over to watch the Super Bowl. I am not a sports person, and have little to no use for football! So much so, that I refuse to watch it and most of the commercials associated with the Super Bowl. There are real world problems, problems that need financial resources, and therefore I think it is absolutely absurd how much money gets squandered on this game. Money from my perspective that could be better utilized. I read a book while they were watching the game, however, there was only one commercial that caught my attention and my heart. It was the ad for Ronald McDonald's House, with its tag line, only Love can put the pieces back! I couldn't agree more, because surviving cancer means much more than surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Surviving cancer is a testament to love, support, and family. If you didn't see the commercial, I attached a link to it below.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/05/ronald-mcdonald-house-super-bowl-commercial-2012_n_1256240.html
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