Friday, September 23, 2022

Friday, September 23, 2022

Tonight's picture was taken in September of 2007. Almost 11 months before Mattie was diagnosed with cancer. Peter was teaching Mattie about rowing, being comfortable on a boat, as well as learning how to fish (catch and release). Mattie caught a catfish in the Potomac River. Right before they threw it back in the water, Peter photographed the special moment. As you can see Mattie was very pleased by his prize!

Quote of the day: Grief is not a disorder, a disease or a sign of weakness. It is an emotional, physical and spiritual necessity, the price you pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve. ~ Earl Grollman

Peter got home last night at 1:30am, after running around and picking my dad's friend up at the airport. John is from England and made this long trip to see my dad. At first we were going to host John at our house, but then I took stock at our daily schedule and told John that it wouldn't be fair to have him here. Instead, he should stay closer to the city, so he has more flexibility and access to public transport. Nonetheless, Peter is taking on the majority of the hosting, as he is shuttling back and forth from the hotel to our house and gave John a five hour walking tour of the city today. Here they are at the Lincoln Memorial! 

Before we moved to Virginia, Peter and I lived only blocks away from all the major memorials and sights of the city. It was a very vibrant place to live and ironically Peter chose to park the car today at our old address in Washington, DC (and even bumped into one of our long time neighbors). That way I knew the car would be safe, secure, and Peter and John would be minutes away from all the sights. 

My goal was to get work done while my dad was at his memory care center. But that never worked out. Instead, I had to go to the post office, get gas for the car, and get some last minute items at the grocery store. I am cooking a dinner at home for John tomorrow, so I had lots to prep, because I honestly can't do this when my dad is at home. I marinaded flank steak, I made mashed potatoes, made a raspberry basil vinaigrette for an arugula salad, and also put together a fruit platter. I will do the rest tomorrow, but I know there would be NO WAY I could get a dinner done when managing both of my parent's needs. 

Needless to say I am frustrated and need the time to think, as I have to put together a PowerPoint presentation shortly, because I have been asked to be part of a webinar. The topic is about the importance of physical activity in childhood cancer. NOT a topic I ever had to present before, so prepping a first time presentation is NEVER easy. My head feels scattered and my body and spirit are exhausted. With that said, for the next several days we will be entertaining John and my hopes is that this stimulation will be beneficial for my dad. Time will tell.