Tonight's picture was taken in April of 2004, on Mattie's second birthday. Mattie loved trains and that was the theme of his second birthday party. For the first three years of Mattie's life, I held his parties at home. There after, we planned some sort of adventure outside our home for him. Initially parties weren't easy for Mattie, and we usually landed up going upstairs away from the noise and others for a little bit. However, as Mattie got older, he out grew this and like any other little person, enjoyed the time with his friends and the fun and antics such excitement could produce.
Quote of the day: Suffering becomes beautiful when anyone bears great calamities with cheerfulness, not through insensibility but through greatness of mind. ~ Aristotle
In the midst of this horrible DC Spring (mind you we had sleet and snow Sunday... just yesterday), Vicki and I visited Mattie's tree on the lower school campus of St. Stephen's & St. Agnes, to place a bow on the tree in remembrance of Mattie's 12th birthday coming up on Friday. Just the number alone sets me back.... to think Mattie would be 12 in a few days is, to say the least, overwhelming in so many ways.
Anyway, Vicki and I made it down to Florida in one piece today, and were greeted by warmth and humidity (one of Vicki's favorites) when we stepped off the plane. Our hotel is right on the beach (see photos), and we had a delightful dinner tonight at Shula's on the Beach, a place that we have visited many times with my in-laws over the past two decades.
We are both worn out and bone tired, so this posting will be short. I must say that we both are full of mixed emotions, since we always came to Florida with Mattie to enjoy and celebrate and experience the pleasure of Florida, and now it seems somewhat hollow and incomplete knowing and realizing that Mattie will never be with us again, and that even though we go through the same actions and visit the same places, Mattie is still not with us, which leaves both Vicki and myself feeling depressed. This is just something that we have and continue to embrace in our lives since it is omnipresent and has become part of who we are... virtually redefining who we are only without the desire nor permission to do so....
More to come, but for now, enjoy the pics we took when flying out of DC and into Florida.
Some shots of DC from the air.... Great shot of the Washington Monument.
More of DC by air... namely the Ellipse (circle in the lower middle of the shot), and the White House to the left border of the Ellipse. The Shadow of the Washington Monument can be seen on the right-hand edge of the photo.
DC Again from up river looking down-river (the muddy Potomac). You can see Roosevelt Island in the middle of the Potomac (before the bridges), a favorite place for Mattie....
A great shot of the Washington Monument, White House to the lower right and Capitol Hill to the extreme left edge of the picture
A shot of us approaching the coast of Florida.... love the sand and sun!
A view from our bedroom window...
Vicki enjoying the warmth, humidity and a little food....
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