Wednesday, May 2, 2012Tonight's picture was taken at the Mattie March in May of 2009. This picture absolutely gets me. You may not be able to see what the focus of attention was, but it was tent caterpillars. Mattie was with his two buddies, Brandon and Robbie, and in his hand, crawling up his arm was a caterpillar. In fact the cup that Brandon was holding did not contain liquid. NO!!! Instead, it contained numerous caterpillars that Mattie planned on taking home with him that day. Mattie's love and fascination with tent caterpillars developed at his preschool, right on the playground. However, this love only grew stronger over time, and perhaps his interest with metamorphosis captured his attention. In any case, what this picture shows me was even though Mattie was battling cancer and confined to a wheelchair, his love and fascination with the world around him never died. In fact, he spread and shared his curiosity of tent caterpillars with many people that day!
Quote of the day: Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust and hostility to evaporate. ~ Albert Schweitzer
My friend Charlie sent me this quote, and the sentiments of it are very powerful. Kindness is a magical word, in many ways it makes us smile, or perhaps it causes us to remember a kind gesture, thought, or feeling someone shared with us. Kindness can clear up the worst of misunderstandings and at times mitigate anger. But kindness does not always come easily. There are days we may feel tired, sad, upset, angry, frustrated, and the list of tiring emotions is endless. These emotions work very hard to prevent or squelch kindness and naturally when we feel threatened or even unappreciated by someone, kindness is also unlikely to happen.
I had the opportunity to meet my friend Mary today for tea. Mary and I met at Mattie's preschool and each year around the time of the Walk, Mary distributes on foot about 70 Walk flyers and posts them all over town. We certainly appreciate Mary's efforts, but I greatly value her as a person and friend. We have gotten to know each other while Mattie was battling cancer and now that he is gone, we get together periodically to chat. You should know that Mary has two beautiful daughters who are in elementary school, and for every special holiday or occasion, Mary shares a picture of her girls with me. To let me know that I am remembered. One of her daughters just celebrated her first holy communion, and as Mary was planning this event, she emailed me one day. She discussed the event, but in the next breath said... "I know you will never have this special moment with Mattie." This thought upset her. It was a simple and yet a profound comment that remains with me. Because even though she was planning a special occasion for her family, she was cognizant of how this might impact me. It doesn't change my circumstances, but the verbal acknowledgment let me understand immediately that Mary gets it. I live in constant conflict, wanting to be happy for other parents around me, and yet extremely frustrated that this is no longer a part of my life.
I spent the rest of the day working on Walk plans and by this evening, I went back to wrapping raffle baskets. Yesterday I accomplished 7 baskets, and today only two. That means I only have four more left to do! Below is a description of the two baskets I wrapped today. Keep in mind that my listing only reflects the more significant items in the package, therefore, it is not a comprehensive list of everything in the basket. On line raffle ticket sales is doing quite well this year, and if you want to check out our raffle and purchase tickets before the walk, go to (remember you do not need to be present at the Walk to win!):
https://www.mattiemiracle.com/Raffle.html
Outdoor Summer Family Adventures Basket
1) National Zoo – Private Guided Tour for up to 10 people – tours on weekend
mornings
2) Pinecrest Golf Course – 4 rounds – Monday thru
Friday – No Holidays3) Washington Nationals tickets - Nats Tickets – August 5 – 1:35 – vs. Marlins – Diamond Level Seating + Parking and Dining
4) SSSAS Summer Camp – 1 week of Day Camp + 1 week of Sports Camp + 1 Lacrosse Camp
5) Six Flags – 2 one-day admission tickets
6) Potomac Nationals – 4 Grandstand Tickets (not valid July 4 or play-offs)
7) Mt. Vernon Estate, Museum & Garden – 4 daytime ticket vouchers
Health and Wellness “A thru Z” Basket
1) Serenity Day Spa – Tension Tamer Massage
2) Zumba
3) $200 Elizabeth Arden Gift Certificate
4) Washington Sports Club Guest Membership – 2 week free Trial Membership
5) Moore than Yoga – 30-minute foot massage
6) Mind the Mat Gift Certificate – 3 pilates, yoga or other classes
8) Arbonne Essentials Chocolate Protein Shake Mix
9) Arbonne Essentials Chocolate Protein Shake
10) Arbonne Essentials Antioxidant Immunity Booster
11) Arbonne Aromassentials Awaken Sea Salt Scrub
12) Arbonne Aromassentials Awaken Body Lotion
13) Arbonne Nourishing Daily Conditioner
14) Arbonne Nourishing Daily Shampoo
15) Arbonne Makeover Event for six people with Katherine Edwards
16) Arbonne $100 Gift Certificate toward RE9 anti-aging system
17) Sugar House Spa - $100 Gift Certificate
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