Tonight's picture was taken in November of 2003. Mattie was a year and a half old. By this point we were already taking Mattie to Fall festivals and he was in love with collecting pumpkins at each outing. He would display them all over our home and use them in play schemes and so forth. Watching Mattie at work was always fascinating and fun because you never knew what was going to happen next, but sure enough, there was always going to be a plan. Thankfully I never had my camera far away to capture these "ordinary" yet now what I would consider magical moments in time.
Quote of the day: Every friend was once a stranger and if you know this, you have to understand that conversations are the beginning of connection. ~ Israelmore Ayivor
Tonight's quote resonates with me. Or I guess Peter would say it SHOULD resonate with me or DESCRIBES me to a T. He jokes with me that people just can't seem to pass me by without having a conversation with me, and that my conversations land up developing into friendships! I don't know why people want to tell me their stories, share their life histories with me, or tell me their problems! I really don't know, all I know is they have for as long as I can remember. Even as a child! I can recall kids wanting me to stay after school, to "consult" with me. I remember our carpool wanting to absolutely KILL me because they always had to wait for me! I was never on time! I wasn't on time, mainly because I was always making time for someone else.
Today I connected with someone who was a "stranger" at one time to me, but after interacting with her for many years in a work context, we have gotten the chance to get to know each other in a more friendly sort of way. In any case, I have heard about the ins and outs of her life, the ups and downs, the close connections of her family and so forth, and just like any of us when we get invested in someone's life we begin to see patterns in their lives. Yet the story she shared with me today, caught me very much off guard, I wasn't expecting the news she shared. It left me upset for me.
It reminds me once again, how holidays can be blessings for some and yet truly devastating for others. As I saw for my friend today. On top of that, I noticed the Foundation was receiving memorial donations today. Quickly we surmised that Elissa Naiman died after her long battle with lung cancer. Like so many victims of this horrific disease, Elissa never smoked a day in her life and though many of us like to look for causes for why we get ill, some times there is NO logic and NO reasoning. Which is truly frustrating and abundantly scary. The Naiman family have been supporters of the Foundation and avid blog readers and we are deeply moved that they chose to have friends and family donate to Mattie Miracle as a way to acknowledge Elissa's spirit and memory. Here is another incredible example of how cancer has transformed another family forever. Whoever says cancer is JUST a biological disease has GOT IT ALL VERY wrong!!! It is a disease that produces lasting and deep psychological and emotional effects on everyone in its wake.
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bostonglobe/obituary.aspx?n=elissa-braga-naiman&pid=173357466&fhid=25324
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