Tonight's picture was taken on May 11, 2009, at the Mattie March. Surrounding Mattie and us were Mattie's Georgetown University Hospital care community. Pictured here were Dr. Shad, most of Mattie's nurses such as Tricia, who was on the ground (front and center), Linda (Mattie's child life specialist, on the far right), and of course Brandon (Mattie's big buddy) and right next to Mattie, were his cousins. This was what our first Walk looked like for us. Walks now look very different. They maybe the same for others, because they have their children in tow, but for us, there is no Mattie and we are planning in essence a family fun event for other peoples' children.
Quote of the day: Helping others is the secret sauce to a happy life. ~ Todd Stocker
Today's quote sticks out in my mind given an interaction I had with someone yesterday. Funny how things can happen one day and then they carry over into the next. The interaction is with someone I have known now for years. We aren't exactly friends, we aren't colleagues, but we see each other often. Why? Because this individual does my nails. We all have things we like to do for ourselves. Some people like coffee, seeing sporting events, going to the movies, etc. Well my outlet is getting my nails done. I have gone to the same salon in Washington, DC for YEARS. The same person has done my hair for YEARS. In fact she knew me when I was a student, before I was pregnant, when I was a mom, and then when I lost Mattie. Which is why her Salon comes to the Walk each year and sets up a nail art table. One sister does my hair and the other sister at the salon does my nails! In a way, I have gotten to know the whole family that owns Molecule Salon and to me they are all special and charitable people.
When they learned that Mattie died, they were so overwhelmed. Back then, I only went to the salon for my hair. But that particular day, they treated me to nail service and that is when I met Celina's sister, Marcella. It was from that first encounter that I have been going back to see Marcella ever since. That was in 2009. Over the years we have gotten to know each other and have talked about many things and though we are from different cultures, we are a lot alike in personality. In conversation yesterday, Marcella let me know that she appreciates our chats and being able to talk with me openly and honestly and what a difference in makes in her life. It was a beautiful comment and it has stayed with me through today and most likely will remain with me always. What it reminds me is that connecting with people is important, listening to people is important, and when you don't listen, you miss a good 85% of what someone is trying to tell you. Receiving someone's information, their fears, joys, happiness, and sadness are all gifts. Yes these are emotionally challenging gifts to manage at times, but they are priceless gifts of trust and honor. So in many ways, I felt I won my own lottery yesterday by being told that my presence mattered.
This evening, Peter and I went out to Tysons Corner to visit Becca, the executive chef of Clyde's. Becca is the amazing woman who donates all our Walk food and also cooks it at the event. That is a huge task and Becca also has to go through a health inspection the day of the event for us before we can start to sell food. She does it all with a smile, but it is labor intensive and we could never manage it without her skills. This year she is bringing her husband and father in law to help out! So our Mattie Miracle family is expanding! Which we are honored about. We had the wonderful opportunity to sit and chat with Becca and catch up on her life. But in true Becca style she also donated items to our Walk raffle. She is a person who lives by the motto of tonight's quote.
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