Tonight's picture was taken in January of 2003. Mattie was nine months old and he was fully ON! Though walkers were not recommended for children and their development in 2003, I felt in Mattie's case it would be a God send. I was absolutely correct. Mattie did not like sitting down, he never crawled, and even at a few months old he wanted to walk and move around. The walker gave Mattie the independence he craved and he literally would zoom around the first floor of our home following me around. Look at that smile! That said it all.... Mattie had a strong willed personality, and in many ways he challenged me beyond measure, which is why I always credit Mattie for being my life's greatest teacher!
Quote of the day: There’s honor in such a well-lived life…there’s healing in remembering…there’s hope in knowing love goes on forever. ~ Diana Manning
As I mentioned yesterday, I have a friend who asked me about my three wishes for 2026. I discussed that last night, but this morning, she went on to ask me to reflect on three things I am grateful for today. Keep in mind when we talk about what we are grateful for, we aren't talking about big things. Instead, we try to find gratitude even in the smallest joys and gestures of our day. In fact, she sent me a video on gratitude and the presenter was talking about the benefits of reflecting on the positives and how these positives can help to override our negativity bias. What do I think of that? I think it is an interesting notion, but I also think that this notion is judgmental and negates the crises, feelings, and thoughts that drown us. That said, though I do not believe positivity and gratitude help to balance out the negative, I do agree that reflecting on other things besides negativity, sadness, and grief, are important for the brain. It is almost like we are exercising a different muscle of the mind, that helps us see our world more holistically.
So here's what I came up with for today:
- Grateful that my dad is out of the hospital and stable. This morning my dad had a PT session at home. I got to see my dad working hard and truly trying to do everything asked of him. I was proud of him and I told the therapist.... we have already proved the hospital WRONG about my dad's abilities!
- Grateful to have a clean and organized house, and that I can work hard to maintain the house! Organization and details are important to me. Having this stability and structure makes me feel in control and safe. You may recall that I mentioned a few days ago that I have a leak in the basement. Paul, who helps me with my heating and air systems in the house, came over this morning and diagnosed the problem. He will return on Monday to fix the problem.
- Grateful that I have the physical strength and capabilities to take on many projects around the house. I have been working hard at putting Christmas away and I am almost there! But this also requires organization and lifting and storing heavy bins in our utility closet. Later in the day, I went outside to deal with all the big tree limbs that fell from our latest wind storms and put them into trash receptacles. While outside, a neighbor saw me, and he came over to help me break apart the very big limbs. Always grateful for help!
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