Saturday, March 23, 2013

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2006, at Butterfly World in Florida. I recently found an electronic file of photos on my computer that were taken with my mom's camera. I enjoy looking at these photos, because to me they seem brand NEW. My mom caught Mattie in motion! Mattie always loved to rub checks with me. Not  that I will ever forget this, but it is so special to see this Mattie tradition caught on film! 


Quote of the day: No amount of time can erase the memory of a good cat, and no amount of masking tape can ever totally remove her fur from your couch. ~ Leo Dworken

I love tonight's quote because it is SO true!!! Patches' memory will be forever with us and so will her fur. Peter and I used to joke with each other all the time that even when we were on vacation, we would find Patches fur either on our luggage or clothes. This photo was taken in January of 2002, three months before Mattie was born. Even if this photo did not have a date on it, I would know it was pre-Mattie, because Post-Mattie, Patches rarely spent time in Mattie's room (which was where this pouch was located!).

Peter and I had a productive morning working on Foundation items. We then visited Mattie's school campus where his memorial tree is located. We brought a ladder this time to clean up debris on the tree. Peter also suggested we remove all Christmas ornaments in order to get the tree ready for the spring and summer seasons. Today we hung 11 different types of planes on the tree in honor of Mattie's 11th birthday. It is hard to believe that this will be the fourth birthday we are acknowledging without Mattie. It doesn't get easier, in fact, a loss like this can leave a person VERY bitter, angry, and jealous. It takes a great deal of strength and humility to work through these feelings. As my friend Annie (who also lost a child to cancer) mentioned to me on Thursday, unlike our friends we have NO new pictures of our children accumulating from year to year. Instead for us, we must cling to the past.  

When we arrived by Mattie's tree, I could see the crocuses Peter planted weeks ago around the tree. They were a special and springy sighting! I am stunned that they haven't been stepped on by the children in the playground area.

Mattie's Tree is both a magical and twinkling tree. The items on the tree capture your attention and the chimes blowing in the wind almost bring about an ethereal feeling.

 

Peter and I went out to lunch today at Mattie's favorite restaurant. When we came outside after lunch, I heard a glorious musical sound. I looked up in the tree, and there was a cardinal. One of Mattie's favorite birds. I suspect Mattie liked cardinals because the males are bright RED!