Sunday, January 11, 2026

Sunday, January 11, 2026

Tonight's picture was taken in February of 2007. That afternoon, my mom and I took Mattie to our local mall in Virginia. What we weren't expecting was a petting zoo. They literally were waltzing animals through the aisles of Bloomingdales! I am not kidding. Mattie saw what was going on and followed the animals. The animals were brought to this pen and we literally went inside and got to meet sheep, bunnies, and a little pony! Look at the big smile on Mattie's face. PRICELESS!

Quote of the day: We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. ~ Mother Teresa

I have noticed one particular insight this weekend about myself! I guess it is not earth shattering but it is factual! Through caregiving for Mattie and my parents, I have learned many important medical insights! Certainly I am aware that I have no medical training, but I have lived through the school of hard knocks, and by caring for loved ones who have had a host of medical conditions, I have learned a lot! I do not really reflect on this knowledge, until someone contacts me and then I give them a whole host of ideas, questions to ask doctors, and how to manage symptoms. Case in point, a friend's daughter was hospitalized this weekend. The young girl is five years old. An age group I am VERY familiar with, and therefore I knew this girl had to be frightened and scared. I also immediately understood the panic and fear felt by her parents. In any case, I have been texting back and forth all weekend with the family and most importantly I made sure they connected with their child life professional. NO child should have to be hospitalized without having access to such a vital professional. A good child life professional can make the impossible, slightly more manageable. Which is one of the reasons Mattie Miracle has been paying the salary of a child life professional since 2011. I am not sure where Mattie or I would have been without Linda, Mattie's child life professional. I used to call her our Medical Mary Poppins. Not only did she help Mattie, but she helped me on so many occasions. There were days I was at my breaking point, yet I had to keep it together for Mattie. On very tough days, Linda would bring me a canister of frosting. I am NOT kidding! Not that it changed my circumstances, but it psychologically made me feel better to have support and sugar! My combination of choice! 

This afternoon, I took my parents out for brunch. Something we do every Sunday. This is a typical occurrence with my dad. He falls asleep at the table and my mom is typically glued to Facebook on her cell phone. So though we are out in the world, it is still a very isolating and lonely existence. But I persist and carry on, despite the fact that emotionally it is hard to see the decline of my parents, to accept the death of my son, and to come to terms with the demise of my 35 year relationship. Any one of these alone is horrible, all together, there really are NO WORDS!