Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2009. Standing next to Mattie is Nancy, one of the music volunteers that Mattie was very fond of. You can't see Nancy's music partner, Jerry, but Jerry was playing the keyboard. Jerry and Nancy did a weekly "name that tune" game with Mattie. In this particular visit, Nancy and Mattie were doing the hokey pokey. In so many ways, nothing could keep Mattie down. He had an energy and life to him despite being on chemotherapy and surviving limb salvaging surgeries.
Quote of the day: It’s odd, isn’t it? People die every day and the world goes on like nothing happened. But when it’s a person you love, you think everyone should stop and take notice. That they ought to cry and light candles and tell you that you’re not alone. ~ Kristina McMorris
It seems to me we are all lulled in some sort of sense of complacency. We believe we are in control of our lives, the things around us, and our future. Yet if you have experienced a trauma, you realize the reality of life isn't so predictable and worse, we truly have NO control over certain aspects of our lives. I found this out on July 23, 2008, when Mattie was diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully most of my readers have not experienced such a trauma, lived in a hospital's pediatric intensive care unit for over a year, and watched your child flat line while gasping for air in your arms. This is a horror that lives within me and it doesn't go away. Not unlike anyone else who has survived a trauma! My own trauma enables me to understand that today's act of terrorism in Boston will always be a part of each victim, each family, each observer, each resident of the city, and all of us as a nation.
I have been glued to the TV this evening watching the recount of horror of today's event in Boston. One has to wonder what kind of sickness would cause people to design and detonate such devastating types of explosive devices. Devices that would cause massive injuries. This was a well calculated tragedy, a tragedy which was designed to unfold in front of the press and media, so the whole world could have a visual and lasting memory of the gruesomeness of this year's Patriot's Day.
Boston is a city with outstanding hospitals and spirited people. The heroism of first responders was amazing, since they had to help people in barricaded streets, and they weren't prepared for meeting the needs of casualties in a war zone. Yet they triaged hundreds of people. Tonight we know that an eight year old girl is dead and her family will never be the same again. I, like so many, am deeply troubled by today's event. An event that reminds me that at the end of the day, no day is guaranteed. Our hearts go out to all those in the city of Boston and may there be acts of compassion and excellence performed within Boston's hospitals in order to save the lives of those impacted by this devastation and cruelty.
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