Quote of the day: "No one can sincerely try to help another without helping himself." ~ Charles Dudley Warner
Charlie wrote this to me today, "This quote touches upon the subject of gifts that we've been blogging about. Again and again you see how sometimes it is the smallest gift that means the most (fresh cheese, vanilla donuts, handmade cards from classmates of Mattie's, therapists who keep trying, etc). There is also the sense of well being and connection that happens when you find the right gift, the right words that are just what was needed, almost like finding that missing piece to the puzzle you've been working so hard to put together. It was a joy to see it come together for Mattie and see him back up and about with the walker, to see him make that connection from the support of a wheelchair to the support of the walker and then to give the gift of trust in return and give it a try. The best gifts are two ways and reinforce the connection between the giver and the receiver to lift them both to a new level. There is so much of that evident daily in your lives; thanks for sharing it, it is a gift to the rest of us."
Today was what I would call an amazing day. Why was it amazing? It was amazing, because I had the opportunity to witness true friendship, advocacy, and compassion. Though in many ways these are very adult concepts, I experienced them from the children I was surrounded by! A lot of what I witnessed today, was what I would call true beauty. Some find beauty in art, music, food, etc. I certainly appreciate all these things GREATLY! But when I can see true human connections, it makes my heart skip a beat. This indeed happened today.
I spent Friday night sleeping in Mattie's room as he was hooked up to an IV and I gave Peter a break since I think he was in worse shape than me. Mattie slept well and only woke two times during the night to use the bathroom. Although my sleep was disturbed, I was able to get back to sleep fairly easily. Although we were in bed after midnight, we all woke up late around 9:45am, which was a real treat. After I made breakfast for the three of us, Peter and I got ready for the day as Mattie had a very busy social calendar planned. Both Peter and I were able to get a lot of the "small" things done this morning while racing around. Mattie did very well entertaining himself, which seemed like a first, as he poured himself into building another version of the Creator Lego house set.
Mattie was invited to two birthday parties today, one for Charlotte, and the other party was for Nikki. We left the house around 12:30 to head to Charlotte's pool party. Mattie and I debated back and forth about what apparatus to take, the wheelchair or the walker. I was pushing hard for the walker! The less Mattie can rely on the wheelchair, the better, because it will encourage him to walk and use his leg. But he really wanted his wheelchair. Because I wanted this day to go well for him, I respected his decision. When we arrived at Charlotte's party, most of the kids were in the pool. Mattie was greeted by Ellen (Charlotte's mom), Ann, and Christine. That helped with the transition. This gave Peter a chance to slip away and run to Radio Shack to get the wiring needed to set up the lights that accompany Mattie's train set as well as make an unplanned stop at Target to purchase some Legos since our supply was running dangerously low. Not a good thing with Mattie stuck in the hospital for the next two weeks.
Mattie was excited to head down to the pool area and watch and interact with his friends from the pool deck. Many of Mattie's kindergarten classmates greeted him and tried to play around with him. Mattie was throwing pool toys in the pool, for the kids to dive for. Ann was also engaging Mattie and water was flying everywhere. Mattie loved getting wet and he truly looked like he was enjoying himself. During this portion of the party, I had an opportunity to talk to another SSSAS mom, Jackie, who has been supporting us with meals throughout this ordeal. But I have never met Jackie in person before. It was very special to chat with her, to hear her reaction to Mattie's situation and our blog. I of course got to reconnect with my friend Christine, which was special. Christine and I share a lot in common, and I still miss our playground times together.
Ellen worked very hard to make sure Mattie was involved and had a good time at the party. Charlotte (the birthday girl) wanted to sit next to Mattie at the birthday table, and Abigail (Ann's daughter) also wanted to sit next to Mattie. So Mattie was surrounded by his friends, who tried very hard to include him and meet his needs. After swimming, the kids played a lot of fun party games. I snapped some lovely pictures from Charlotte's party. I think the pictures show how happy Mattie was at the party! Look at that smile at the table! Mattie enjoyed the circle game the kids played. You can see Mattie talking with Abigail and Campbell in the circle as they are working on unwrapping the gift that was going around like a hot potato.
Mattie and Abigail smiled for the camera!
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