Tonight's picture was taken in November of 2008. A friend gave Mattie this wonderful turkey hat and as you can see Mattie decided to wear it in celebration of the Thanksgiving day season. On Thanksgiving of 2008, (our last Thanksgiving with Mattie) Mattie was home from the hospital. Hospitals work very hard to get you discharged before any major holiday, if it is at all possible. That is a mixed blessing especially if you are balancing pain, recovery, and a host of profound psychological issues. In all reality we would have been better off in the hospital for that Thanksgiving. Peter and I had our hands full at home. Mattie was recovering from his second limb salvaging surgery, he was in terrible pain, and worse Mattie's medical post traumatic stress symptoms began. It was beyond challenging and heart breaking for Peter and I to see Mattie this clinically depressed, anxious, and basically traumatized. These are memories that are real and are alive within us, and I could try to use every word possible to make these feelings and observations a reality for our readers, but I do not wish this upon you.
Quote of the day: He who thanks but with the lips thanks but in part; The full, the true Thanksgiving comes from the heart. ~ J.A. Shedd
Today Peter and I are driving to New York to visit my lifetime friend, Karen, and her mom. Last year we started a new tradition of spending Thanksgiving together. Because we will be driving and today is a holiday, I decided to post Mattie's blog in the morning. To all our faithful readers and supporters, we wish you and your families a very happy Thanksgiving.
It can be a very challenging effort for parents who lost a child to cancer to feel grateful for anything quite frankly. With that said, when one stops and deeply reflects, we all have something (no matter how small or big) to be thankful for. I speak for both myself and Peter..... we Thank You!
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