Friday, September 28, 2012

Friday, September 28, 2012

Tonight's picture was taken on July 9th of 2008. Just two weeks before Mattie was diagnosed with cancer. We had absolutely no idea how our life was going to change back then as we were walking on Roosevelt Island. When I look back and reflect, I realize that prior to Mattie getting sick I worried about silly and inconsequential things. Cancer has put everything into context for me.









Quote of the day: Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow. ~ Mary Anne Radmacher


If my maternal grandmother were still alive, she would have celebrated her 105th birthday today. My grandmother died in 1994, and yet I still remember. I grew up living with my parents and grandmother in a multi-generational household, and it was from my relationship with my grandmother that I learned to appreciate the beauty of older adults. I know some people feel uneasy talking or working with older adults, but for me it is like second nature.

I began my morning by meeting with the two lovely ladies in this photo, Whitney and Lesley. Whitney and Lesley are the "dynamic duo," I have mentioned before on the blog. They were two of Mattie's favorite Child Life Interns at Georgetown University Hospital. Whitney and Lesley got to know every member of our family and assisted us in so many ways when Mattie was hospitalized. Recently I reported on the blog that one of Mattie's Child Life Interns lost her father to a sudden heart attack. The intern in question is Lesley. Lesley and I relate to each other greatly over the devastating losses in our lives and I was happy we could get together as a threesome and hear more about Lesley's dad, how he died, and how she is coping with this great loss. Mattie connected me with Whitney and Lesley and I am so glad to know women of this fine, sensitive, and compassionate character.

While we were having breakfast in a cafe at Georgetown, I recognized the man who sat down at the table next to us. It was Cesar Milan. For those of you who may not know who Cesar is, he is a dog behaviorist and has a TV show on the Discovery Channel. He is the "Dog Whisperer." Cesar teaches dog owners how to be "calm and assertive" with their dogs. I find his show intriguing because as he states he "rehabilitates dogs and trains people!" As we finished breakfast and got up to leave, I went over to Cesar and said, "Mr. Milan, I could not leave this restaurant today without letting you know I am a big fan. I do not own a dog, but I am a mental health professional who works with people, and I am intrigued with the perspective you take in helping people resolve some of their own issues as they learn to manage their dog's behavior." Cesar was actually very humble and speechless, almost as if he wasn't sure how to answer me. But he thanked me for coming over and I could tell he felt pleased that his work was being admired.

After breakfast, I headed home and packed up for our trip. The fun began when we had to find Patches (our calico cat), put her in her cage and board her at the vet. She was less than pleased with us and has become an expert in hiding! Once on the road, we hit intense traffic, but we did make it to the suburbs of New York in four hours. It is much colder here than in DC, so it was a rude awakening for me.

This evening, we met up with my lifetime friend, Karen and her mom, Naomi. We haven't had the chance to get together like this for many years, so this was a special gathering which gave us the time to catch up on each other's lives. Though we communicate with each other often by email, that is a different connection from a face to face meeting. Karen's mom lost her husband at a very young age. What I notice is in many ways she understands some of the pain, thoughts, and feelings I express often on this blog. It is funny, all my life Naomi has been Karen's mom, but from losing Mattie, I have a better insight into her life, and in a way our losses have connected us as friends. At dinner, Peter snapped a picture of us. I am signing off for today, tomorrow I will be writing from Cape Cod.