Tonight's picture was taken in November of 2003. Peter and I were in Boston and we were visiting that afternoon with my friend Jen (who I went to graduate school with) and one of her daughters, Caroline. Caroline and Mattie were around the same age. The cute part about this was Mattie and Caroline instantly took to each other. They both had energy, a lot of life to them, and they knew what they wanted. Typically Mattie did NOT like going into a pit filled with balls. He did not like the feeling, but he saw Caroline go in and she enjoyed it, so I think that inspired him. He did not last in there long, but it was long enough for me to snap a picture!
Quote of the day: Heavy hearts, like heavy clouds in the sky, are best relieved by the letting of a little water. ~ Antoine Rivarol
Today was another day in which I focused solely on Foundation items and connections. Peter and I had the opportunity to have lunch together with a former colleague of Peter's. Bill and Peter met each other at Andersen Business Consulting. Andersen was one of the top five business consulting companies in the US at one time, and the beauty of Andersen was it attracted talented, amazing, invested, and committed individuals. It was one of the finer examples of corporate America, most likely because there was a close and familial type of camaraderie amongst the management and their employees. Though Enron severed this wonderful company, the people who worked for Andersen remain connected with each other, despite being dispersed in various industries now.
I am happy that I was able to attend today's lunch, because I got to know Bill much better. Bill is the CEO for Network for Good. Network for Good's mission statement is quite creative and inspires you to want to reach out and help a cause. It states......."Imagine what the world would be like if every time you were inspired to help someone or something, you could -- with just a few clicks of a mouse, anywhere online. That’s the mission of Network for Good. We make it as easy to donate and volunteer online as it is to shop online, and we make it simple and affordable for all nonprofits, of any size, to recruit donors and volunteers via the Internet."
Network for Good helps our Foundation manage our on-line communications and fundraising quite effectively. We are very grateful to have this connection with Bill and appreciated his time today as we brainstormed other on-line methods of connecting to our target audience. I enjoyed brainstorming with Bill and hearing his ideas, and I also enjoyed learning more about him. I am always very appreciative when the person before me is sensitive, open, and honest about his/her reactions to Mattie's death. Bill participated in a triathlon with the Make-A-Wish Foundation recently and the picture he wore on the back of his shirt during this physical challenge was of Mattie. He told us today that while he was swimming in the ocean or bicycling through this competition, his mantra was always..... Mattie suffered through worse than what I am enduring now. This comment, its great meaning, and incredible sensitivity captured my attention and heart. After all, Bill never met Mattie. However, he knew us, and he is a father of three children and deeply understands the magnitude of such a loss.
Bill started the lunch out by asking how we were doing. But it wasn't a perfunctory ask, it was a sincere ask, and when I responded, I could immediately tell that he was absorbing what I was saying. We all have skills of some sort, and mine has always been the ability to read people immediately. I am not a business minded person, however, I am learning the art of running a Foundation, and I feel fortunate enough to be surrounded by people like Bill who are willing to guide us along the way.
After lunch, I spent the rest of the day at home doing chores and catching up on other Foundational paperwork. In the midst of this very busy week, I have been suffering with intense headaches again. For 8 years now, I can safely say that I have never had a headache free day. It is just the magnitude of the headache that varies from day to day. This week, the pain is very intense, and yet, having to function becomes the ultimate challenge. Especially when I intertwine these headaches with grief.
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