Tonight's picture was taken on May 2, 2008. It was grandparent's day at Mattie's elementary school. Which was a big deal. There is a special breakfast, a concert, and a tour of the classrooms for grandparents. My parents flew in from California to attend and I signed up to volunteer at this event. I am SO GLAD I did. As it was our first and last grandparents day. I would never have guessed this. In any case, if I did not volunteer, then I would not have been able to observe the festivities and all the excitement of the day. This photo was taken by my mom. It was in Mattie's kindergarten classroom, where he was showing us some of his work.
Quote of the day: KINDESS can transform someone's dark moment with a blaze of light. You'll never know how much your caring matters. MAKE A DIFFERENCE for another today. ~ Amy Leigh Mercree
When I say I feel like the walking wounded, I am not kidding. I am extremely tired. But I got my dad up today and to his memory care center. Of course my dad isn't happy about going, but in all honesty I feel it is good for him. He needs this stimulation, because without it he sleeps the day away at home. He isn't interested in talking on the phone, conversing in person, reading a book, watching TV and the list goes on. At the memory care center, they have constant activities, which switch up every thirty minutes. Everything from music programs, brain games, exercising, socializing, and of course snacks and lunch.
While my dad was at the center, we had our new neighbor over. My loyal readers will know that this is the neighbor who will be demolishing her house and building it from the ground up. I met this new neighbor in the Fall. She bought her home around the same time we did, except she hasn't moved in yet. She and her family have been trying to figure out how to renovate the house. I have seen the interior of her home and completely understand why she wants to renovate it. The previous owner did not upgrade it at all or modernize it in any way over all these years. In any case, my neighbor has been keeping me informed about her plans. Yet about a month ago, I got a phone call from someone in our home owner's association (HOA). The phone call was truly troubling on many levels and the person upset me so that I hung up on her. So against my better judgment, since I was getting pressure from neighbors on my street, I wrote a formal letter to the HOA highlighting the street's issues with my neighbor's demolish plans. What a mistake this was! The HOA is useless, ineffective, and down right attitudinal. Therefore, Peter and I quickly understood that we want NOTHING to do with this HOA, and instead we will go back to our original plans and work directly with our neighbors.
So this morning, my neighbor came over so we could get to know each other better. I gave her a tour of our home (as she graciously gave us one soon after she bought her house). Then we sat on our porch and had lemon blueberry bread, strawberries from the farmer's market, and drinks. We spent about two hours together and it was a delightful morning. My mom joined in and she enjoyed the social stimulation of the visit. My neighbor and I operate on a similar wavelength, as she is a caregiver herself and knows full well the challenges of caring for people with special needs. Ironically her best friend reached out to Mattie Miracle last Fall and we only connected the dots today, as we did not know we had this connection in common! It is a small world and I do believe that every communication deserves a response and to be taken seriously.
My life is so chaotic now, that so much falls through the cracks. But I am glad that my response was helpful and memorable. To me this is important, as I never want someone to feel misunderstood or not important in my eyes. Before my neighbor left, she surprised me, as she and her husband will be making a big donation to Mattie Miracle. It is thanks to this family that we will exceed our Walk financial goal this year. IT IS A MATTIE MIRACLE INDEED!
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