Sunday, August, 26, 2012Tonight's picture was taken in July of 2002, at Mattie's baptism. I remember this day as if it were yesterday. Father James Greenfield baptized Mattie. I met Father Jim at the George Washington University, when I was a graduate student. In fact, in my first semester at the University, I needed to find a client to work with, in order to counsel him/her and then write a case report. It was Jim who gave me my first clinical client and also supervised my work. Jim is an incredible priest, he gave Peter and I pre-cana before we married, he baptized Mattie at a private ceremony, and also presided over Mattie's funeral.
Quote of the day: You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body. ~ C.S. Lewis
Peter and I are not sure whether we are coming or going today. We are both exhausted, yet woke up early because we are still on England time. We accomplished a great deal of chores today. Patches is thrilled to be home and is sticking close to her buddy Peter! Peter and I worked in our garden for a while and I am happy to report that our plants did very well for two weeks because our friend Maria gave our garden tender loving care. I find it very upsetting to come home to dead plants, and this has happened many times in the past. This is the first time we asked Maria to watch over our garden and I can say that our plants appreciated her care, and they are thriving!
The glorious sunflowers you see in this picture were at Claude Monet's garden in Giverny. Hopefully this week, I will be able to post more pictures, but imagine sunflowers everywhere. It was a garden that only someone with great love of color, light, and nature could have planted. 
We were sifting through two weeks worth of mail, and in one envelope I received this beautiful painted purple flag. This is NOT just any flag, this was Mattie's flag! He painted it when he was in Kathy's preschool class, and it has his name and preschool symbol (Mattie Magnet) on the back of the flag. Kathy is preparing her classroom for school, and in the process came across this flag and sent it to me with a beautiful note. It was a very thoughtful and kind gesture on Kathy's part, and I consider this a very special gift. The gift is priceless because it is a reminder of Mattie, of Mattie's existence, and also of a memory Kathy had with Mattie. So many families we know are getting ready for the school year to begin and yet we of course are not. Not by choice but because of cancer. For so many, September symbolizes the beginning of a new school year, while for me, September symbolizes the month Mattie died. I shall never forget Mattie's preschool teachers. They are extraordinary ladies, teachers, and people, and Kathy's gift is just one of many examples why Mattie's teachers are also my friends.
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