Tonight's picture was taken in June of 2009. Mattie was recovering from his sternotomy, which removed nine tumors from his lungs. Part of his recovery process required him to do breathing exercises (since during surgery air sacs in the lungs can flatten and exercises help to expand the lungs back to full capacity)! Something Mattie absolutely hated! Because Mattie refused to comply with his respiratory therapist, one of his PICU nurses decided to design her own creative way for Mattie to exercise his lungs using a basin, water, straws, and a cut out of Sponge Bob! Naturally it involved me being a part of the therapy! I was so used to being Mattie's therapy partner that I gladly stepped in. The goal was to see who could blow Sponge Bob threw the water and across the finish line the fastest. It really helped having a nurse who understood Mattie and could think outside the box to get things accomplished.
Quote of the day: Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It's not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything. ~ Muhammad Ali
Recently I learned about two people who we work with through the Foundation that decided after many years of working in their current jobs that they wanted to leave their positions. I am not sure why this surprises me. On some level it surprises me and yet on the other hand, given the climate of both work environments..... I always wondered how these folks made it work for so long! But my connections with these individuals was not simply the fact that they worked for a certain place or organization. It was more about them and who they were as individuals and how we connected in our visions about childhood cancer. I have performed many roles and tasks in the course of my lifetime, but being the president of Mattie Miracle, is a very different job. It is a job and yet it is a very personal quest. Every task I do is done with a lot of thought and every connection I make with someone is not just your usual business acquaintance. If you are going to do any real and meaningful work for the Foundation, there will have to be a personal relationship established. If one doesn't want to make that investment with me and with the Foundation, then guess what? You aren't working with me! It really is that simple. It is my philosophy and a philosophy I stick with, because at the core this isn't just a job, it is a task that was given to me by Mattie. Understanding this and valuing the meaning behind the work that I do each day in a way requires the building of a friendship between people.
So when I learned that two people we have known were leaving their jobs rather suddenly, my first thought was truly for their concern, welfare and for their health. I wanted to make sure that there wasn't something wrong that caused them this dramatic switch. Once that was established then we could discuss and strategize how these changes would impact their future and our relationship together. But the beauty of having a RELATIONSHIP with people is that once you have a strong connection and you have a meeting of the minds, it doesn't matter where they work. The minds always need to connect.... which is what will happen with our colleagues. They maybe moving professional homes, but we will remain connected and working together. So I take Muhammad Ali's quote quite seriously. Do I think you can teach people about friendship and how to be a good friend? I once thought so, now I am not so sure (that would have to be another blog posting).... but I do think that valuing a connection and nurturing it is the key to a happier and more enriching life.
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