Tonight's picture was taken in May of 2004. We took Mattie down to the National Mall to walk around and to see the ducks in the reflecting pool. We went to this very spot many times. Both when Mattie was well and when he was battling cancer. Today, though there was 17 inches of snow on the ground we ventured further than our home to take a walk. What you may notice in this photo was that I was holding Mattie's hand and also holding his clothes from the back end. I was always very cautious around water and I did not want Mattie to fall into the pool. I always look at this photo now and find it ironic because I would never have guessed that four years later Mattie would get diagnosed with cancer, and there wouldn't be anything I could do to prevent it.
Quote of the day: How do you go on knowing that you will never again—not ever, ever—see the person you have loved? How do you survive a single hour, a single minute, a single second of that knowledge? How do you hold yourself together? ~ Howard Jacobson
We brought items of Mattie's with us, because I wanted them in the photo. Mattie loved toy roaches and you may see the big one in this photo. Mattie got a kick out of scaring his nurses with all sorts of bugs. Once they had his number they played along with his antics! In addition, when Mattie was battling cancer, Peter's colleagues from Canada sent Mattie this hat and mittens. They are truly incredible items which kept me warm and toasty!
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