Monday, November 2, 2015

Monday, November 2, 2015


Tonight's two pictures were taken in October of 2005. Mattie was three years old and doing something he absolutely LOVED. Which was painting with his feet. I would set up a whole painting station in our living room. Do not ask me how we did not get paint everywhere. But 

somehow we didn't. Mattie was very careful and neat by nature, which was why we were two peas in a pod. Yet he did like getting messy and doing very messy activities, but appreciated that the mess shouldn't travel to furniture and walls. When Peter saw this photo tonight, his immediate response was.... look at Mattie checking out his feet and evaluating the finished product!


Quote of the day: There could have been no two hearts so open, no tastes so similar, no feelings so in unison. ~ Jane Austen


When I saw Jane Austen's quote tonight, I immediately thought of Mattie. Though I am quite sure when she wrote it, she did not have a mother and child in mind. Yet for Mattie and I, we just understood each other and communicated and felt in similar ways. We were both bold, appreciated the ability for free expression, and we were honest about our feelings and thoughts with ourselves and with other people. It is hard to be without this special connection in my life. 

This morning I got a call from the hospital following up with me on the incision from the biopsy I had on Friday. While talking with the technician, I asked her when my results would come in. They mentioned on Friday that they could be available today. However, that wasn't accurate. It takes three BUSINESS DAYS to culture the tissue, and of course Saturday and Sunday don't count. My joke is don't get sick on a Friday, because you are placed on hold until Monday! It is the state of our healthcare system. Avoid Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays! The rest of the days.... go right ahead and have a problem. The unfortunate part is our bodies do not follow the needs of the healthcare system! 

I had the opportunity to meet the lady in this photo today. This is Stella and she is my friend Heidi's sister. Stella lives in California and is visiting her sister for a few days. Stella has taken a liking to candy sorting and is sorting up a storm! 

To me this expression is priceless! Stella thought she finished sorting all the candy that came into Heidi's bin today, however, when she went back outside, she found the bin was filled up again! It speaks to the generosity of candy donors in Heidi's neighborhood. Heidi posts a message about our candy drive every year in her neighborhood listserv, and within one week, she has hundreds of pounds of candy! It is remarkable. 

While the above bin is at Heidi's house, this orange one is at my friend Ann's house. There are literally bins on peoples' front porches all over town! That is how vast this collection is becoming! We have Maryland, Virginia, and DC covered!