Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Tonight's picture was taken in November of 2005. Mattie was three years old and VERY ON! My joke was Mattie had two modes... ON and OFF! Nothing in between. As you can see, Mattie created this very large Lego vehicle. You may not be able to see the wheels in this photo, but trust me, they were under all those Lego bricks. In this photo, I captured Mattie creating a human bridge and he wanted me to move his vehicle underneath the bridge! This was Mattie..... he had a way of incorporating you into his play schemes and his energy was contagious. 

Quote of the day: The only thing faster than the speed of thought is the speed of forgetfulness. Good thing we have other people to help us remember. ~ Vera Nazarian

I woke up this morning, opened my bedroom door, and knew immediately Indie left me a mess in the basement. That is how pervasive a smell it is, the odor climbs up two floors. It is not the best of smells to hit you at 6:30am! It took me twenty minutes to clean this up and I was not happy! Not happy because she now has TWO litter boxes and each one is cleaned out daily. She even got fresh litter last week. The vet assures me nothing is physically wrong with her, but honestly I am at my wit's end. 

I did my usual morning routine, greeted my mom's physical therapist, and then got my dad in the car to his memory care center. After I dropped him off, I went to return the vanity light fixture that I purchased for the renovation. The fixture is too large, and I am awaiting the smaller one to be delivered. While at the store, I looked around and saw Christmas everywhere. All sorts of ornaments, lights, and decorations. It was emotionally overwhelming. I go through the motions to acknowledge the holidays but nothing brings me happiness anymore. As a part of me died with Mattie and the rest of me died when I got divorced. 

However, while out, I text messaged my contractor because it dawned on me this morning that I can't keep working with a leaky bathroom sink. I consulted my plumber on changing the faucets a few months ago and when I heard the four figure price he quoted me, I said NO THANK YOU! Instead, I bought faucets today and Alfredo will install them for me next week, and it won't be anywhere near the cost I was originally quoted. It is times like these that I wish I had the skills of a contractor! Because I would manage EVERYTHING myself! Be fully self-sufficient. But I know my limitations and I know when I need to ask for help. 

I spent several hours going through all the items donated to the Foundation. I separated the items into three different piles, as they are going to three different hospitals. We have five Snack & Item Carts and these items help to keep our Carts fully stocked. All items are free to families caring for children with cancer or other life threatening illnesses.

This is the donation going to MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC.

This is the donation going to the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD. 

This is the donation going to Children's Hospital at Sinai in Baltimore, MD. 

I am deeply grateful to our friends and supporters who make these miracles possible! When Mattie was diagnosed, our friends brought us snacks and meals DAILY for over a year. I can't tell you how much money they saved us and how appreciated their efforts were, because it was close to impossible to leave Mattie's side in the hospital. I will never forget this kindness, and I would like to think I have paid this kindness forward through our Snack & Item Carts. For me, the memory of Team Mattie remains alive and well in all of our Carts! What I do know is our Carts are life savers and families are deeply appreciative to have access to snacks, drinks, candy, and toiletries.