Tonight's picture was taken in September of 2008. Mattie was in his second month of treatment. As you can see he lost all his hair by that point. It only took his art therapists and child life specialist a few weeks to understand the likes and dislikes of Mattie. They quickly learned of Mattie's LOVE for cardboard boxes! Which was why as deliveries would come in, they would save boxes for Mattie! This photo shows the three boxes set aside for Mattie. He eagerly grabbed them and was taking them back to the clinic to start creating! I can't tell you all the marvelous cardboard creations Mattie designed that year in the hospital.... everything from a haunted house to a big airplane!
Quote of the day: Do not weep for those who have found Death's embrace early, for they weep for us that linger on in this mortal world of pain. ~ Stewart Stafford
One of my dad's physical therapists is going on maternity leave. So yesterday we were introduced to a young woman who will taking her place while she is on leave! It is interesting meeting someone for the first time. I say this because this is a person who knows NOTHING about my life. From her perspective, she comes into an organized, clean, and well run home, and she sees photos of Mattie everywhere. She even commented on how lovely Mattie's photos were to my dad. Therefore in the eyes of a stranger..... we all look happy, intact, and living a stable life. I of course kept quiet regarding the train wreck of my life, because these sessions are NOT about me, they are to help my dad. Nonetheless, the therapist asked me.... "what interior designer did you use to decorate your house?" I laughed! I laughed because I didn't use an interior designer, nor do I need one! I told her I decorated everything myself. I had a vision for these spaces and I executed on them. One of the things she commented on was the things I have on display on the walls. Any case, her lovely comment made me pause and acknowledge all the things I have done since I moved into this house. Truly how I am able to string two sentences together, care for my parents, manage the finances, run Mattie's foundation, and care for this house on my own without having a nervous breakdown, is a testament I suppose to me.
Today the pool saga continued! Since I learned about the leaks on Tuesday, my pool company came to fix a majority of the issues. But they are recommending that part of the pool surface get resurfaced! NOT WHAT VICKI wanted to hear! So I await more information on this, and add it to my long list of things I need to address. All I can do is take a deep breath and try to manage one issue at a time. All my adult life, I lived in an apartment. I went from apartment living, to managing a home by myself. Truly it is daunting! What I have learned is slowly but surely, I need to find professionals who can help me, and who provide honest and fair assessments of the issues at hand.
Meanwhile, I still have a hole in my dining room ceiling and a dismantled bathroom from the flood. Hopefully I will be able to address this with the contractor in October. Some days, the Godspell song Day by Day streams through my mind. When I was in middle school, our choir sang this song, and even back then, I found this song moving. It is funny how certain issues and moments of misery can trigger memories. Spinning through my mind today was.....Day by Day, Oh Dear Lord, three things I pray: To see thee more clearly, Love thee more dearly, Follow thee more nearly, Day by Day.
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