Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2007. I just loved the picture window in our living room in the city! Mattie used that window for all sorts of crafts and activities. Life was never boring with Mattie. I don't know about you, but I also get a chuckle knowing that Mattie wanted to wear a Christmas sweater in April! The beauty of Mattie.
Quote of the day: We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it is not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
My daily life is inundated with incredible tasks.... showering and dressing my dad, toileting him, chauffeuring my parents around, coordinating entertainment, cooking, laundering linens and clothes, accounting and maintaining finances, caring for the house, managing appointments, doctors, and medications and the list goes on and on. Yet underneath the pile of tasks and demands is a woman who also received two master's degrees, a Ph.D., and a mental health license. These credentials may not always come to the surface or ever be seen, but they are there! They serve as the foundation of my being and give me a lens into all problems, demands, and issues.
I am quite certain without these credentials, Mattie's Foundation would never have gotten as far as it has! After all, I interface with very bright clinicians and researchers and in order to partner with them to create the Psychosocial Standards of Care, I had to be able to hold my mental weight! I remind myself of this daily, and then there was this week! On Tuesday, the mom of a child with cancer reached out to me. Her daughter was a recipient of one of our M&M Wishes several months ago. However, it was something I said to this mom in an email months ago that resonated with her. Out of the blue she reached out to me on Tuesday and said she really needed to talk to someone and asked if I could make time at 4pm. Though that is the time I juggle my dad and mom, I put them on pause to call this mom. I did this because I put myself in her shoes. It is hard to know who to turn to, who to safely confide in, and who will listen without judgment. I wasn't sure what help I could be, but if someone needs me, then this becomes my priority.
This mom and I talked for an hour and we really clicked. This wasn't a counseling session! This was simply a chat from one cancer mom to another, and after our call, the mom has continued to write to me to let me know that our chat has empowered her to make some changes and these changes are working! She then said that she hoped one day she could accomplish all that I have done for the cancer community, and that she could help someone like I helped her. All I can say is when I have moments where I wonder...... have I used my degrees,? This phone call with this lovely mom reminded me without a doubt, the answer is YES, YES, and YES! It brought me great happiness this week that I could make a difference in this woman's life, allow her to see there are always options and hope, and most of all that our connection made her feel better about herself and her situation. As I told this mom, hearing that she now has a ray of hope, was one of the best gifts I could ever receive.
