Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Tonight's picture was taken in January of 2009. Mattie was home between treatments and as you can see he was sitting on our couch eating an ice cream cone (ice cream was one of his foods of choice). However in addition to enjoying ice cream Mattie was surrounded by gifts he received that day which included a blue pillow and military patches. Team Mattie was incredible for many reasons. They met each and every demand and need we had, and they kept gifts, prizes, and all sorts of surprises coming our way throughout Mattie's battle. These items perked Mattie up in incredible ways and the joy of opening up care packages were greatly appreciated by Peter and I. Despite how horrific a day was in the hospital, opening up a gift had a way of changing Mattie's mood, even if it was temporary. This temporary relief and diversions kept us sane!
Quote of the day: If purring could be encapsulated, it'd be the most powerful anti-depressant on the pharmaceutical market. ~ Alexis F. Hope
Patches has always been nocturnal, but it seems to be getting worse. By 2am the past two nights she seems to be up and howling all over the place. We haven't gotten much sleep the past two nights. When I woke up this morning, she greeted me on the staircase and as the day wore on, she jumped onto her perch and as you can see made herself quite comfortable. As a person who works from home, she is my day time companion! She is my roommate, work colleague, and friend.
I think Patches' diagnosis hasn't been a good way to start off 2013. Somehow this has caused a cascade of feelings for me and sometimes the feelings make me question what the point of life is? An existential question people have been asking for centuries, and yet after the death of a child, it throws off everything that makes sense to the human race. It is easy to get depressed and yet much harder to feel positive and engaged with the rest of the world. I try to interact with others but at the end of the day, I feel the profound differences between myself and others. Or at least my perceived differences.
When I returned home from Los Angeles, Peter surprised me with an Amaryllis plant. I have never grown one, but as you can see it is quite beautiful and brings cheer to our grey and cold days! I would like to end tonight's posting with a message from my mom about our wise Patches. What I always loved about Patches is her intelligence. You look into her eyes and in so many ways she makes you feel like she understands you!
Patches -- The Wise and Wonderful Cat by Virginia R. Sardi
It was a nostalgic moment when I looked at the
photo of Patches perched on top of Mattie's bed, gazing out of his window as
was her custom after her acceptance of Mattie grew into a strong bond that made
them inseparable when he was at home. If a cat can be described as a
sentimentalist, and there are legions of cat lovers who would testify to that,
Patches remains sentimentally attached to Mattie and has not forgotten those
happy days together with him either! That is why her comfort zone in times of
trouble is to be in Mattie's room doing what she loves to do best for it is
a remembrance of the times she watched Mattie as he indulged his creativity in
moments they so happily shared together. She is a wise and wonderful
cat!
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