Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2002. This was Mattie's first Christmas with us. The highchair wasn't actually one of Mattie's favorite places to hang out. Nor did he particularly care about eating. I think part of the reason he did not care for either option was because it entailed sitting still and being confined in place. Nonetheless, we learned quickly the types of foods Mattie enjoyed and with these foods he would put up with the chair for small bits of time. A baby's first Christmas I think is more exciting for the parents than the child, since the concept of the holiday doesn't form for many years down the line. Yet I am happy we captured these moments with Mattie, so we can reflect upon them now and into the future.
Quote of the day: It deeply saddens me that we live in a world where grievers have to defend their right to grieve. The only thing it does is create more grief. ~ Angie Cartwrite
Peter is back on travel again and left for Louisiana today. He is safely on the ground and when he returns late Wednesday night, I will be leaving for Los Angeles on Thursday. That is way too much plane travel for me to absorb this week.
This afternoon, I met my friend for lunch at Mattie's favorite restaurant. Peter and I typically go to this restaurant on the weekends. But when I entered the restaurant today, I saw our buddy Mike. Mike manages the front desk of the restaurant during the weekdays and I haven't seen him in a while. When Mattie was healthy, my parents and I would take Mattie often to this restaurant after preschool. It was a place we all could agree on food wise and Mattie knew if he went to this restaurant Mike would give him a big greeting and also give him some sort of toy car or plane to play with. Since Mattie loved anything with wheels, that was the highlight of his visit. Mike saw Mattie grow up from a preschooler to an elementary school student, and then unfortunately while battling cancer. Mike would push Mattie's wheelchair for us, make a fuss over him, but yet treat him as if he was still Mattie. Not SICK Mattie. Mike holds a special place in our hearts even after all these years. But that is the beauty of emotional connections. At the end of the day that is what we remember..... how people make us feel!
Later on today, I received an email from my friend Maria. She wanted to share a story with me. She was visiting a store in Arlington, VA and happened to pull out the microfiber cloth we sent our Foundation donors for Christmas in order to wipe the lens of her glasses. When the store owner saw the cloth, he asked Maria how she knew Mattie. Maria was intrigued by the question and wondered how this individual knew of the Foundation. It turns out the store owner came to our Foundation Walk in May and was so impressed with the event that he and his friends are coming back this May. Needless to say, Maria's email was a major gift to me. She did not have to share this story with me but I am SO happy she did. I am thrilled our Foundation holiday gift is being used and also that it caused conversation about Mattie and his Foundation. Music to my ears!
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