Tonight's picture was taken in May of 2006. Mattie was in his preschool classroom and behind him in this photo was his "best" friend Zachary. Mattie and Zachary were inseparable in school. They were like two peas in a pod. Their connection, I would say, occurred during the first day of school and remained strong even after preschool finished! It was a very unique bond. I remember receiving an email from Mattie's teacher after the first day of school letting me know that Mattie made a good friend that day! Mattie was pictured here running up and down the loft in his classroom. Mattie loved the loft space and he also LOVED tape! My understanding was he went through many rolls of colored tape that first semester and they had to cut off his tape supply since Mattie literally taped up the entire loft at one point.
Quote of the day: Any fool can be happy. It takes a man with real heart to make beauty out of the stuff that makes us weep. ~ Clive Barker
Today I met my friend Christine for lunch at a restaurant that I used to love. I would go to this restaurant with my friend Margaret on special occasions. In fact it was Margaret who introduced me to this restaurant. What I loved about it was where it was located. It is in Alexandria, but off the beaten track. Parking was easy and it was tucked in an area between an outdoor garden store and another quaint little store. The restaurant itself is run by a husband and wife team and it is like a french bistro. Very charming and the food has always been wonderful. But of course all things change! People want to expand, remodel, and so forth. However, NOT all changes I have to say are for the better. This restaurant moved locations, the space inside is larger, and the decor of the restaurant is much more open and modern. So in essence it is a night and day difference from its previous look. All of that would be fine if the cuisine remained just as wonderful and creative as before. BUT...................
It saddens me that a special place that I used to go to with my friend is no longer the same. It is hard when you lose people that you care about, it seems natural to turn to things in our physical world to help keep us tied to them. When these tangibles change as well, this can be very unsettling. It is in these moments that we must rely on our own memory, the sharing of stories and reliving memories between friends and family. However, the problem with a loss is NOT everyone always wants to remember. We all have our own needs and ways we want to process a loss, which of course is fine and deserves to be respected but as I reflect on my most recent bunch of losses (Mattie, Mary, Jocelyn, and Margaret) it is hard when your support networks you grew close to also die off and you can not turn to them to discuss the original loss and person who bound you together in the first place. Interesting what visiting today's restaurant evoked within me, no? Memories of a time gone by, changes that now exist that poignantly go beyond the restaurant's location but to the losses in friendship and people in my life.
It saddens me that a special place that I used to go to with my friend is no longer the same. It is hard when you lose people that you care about, it seems natural to turn to things in our physical world to help keep us tied to them. When these tangibles change as well, this can be very unsettling. It is in these moments that we must rely on our own memory, the sharing of stories and reliving memories between friends and family. However, the problem with a loss is NOT everyone always wants to remember. We all have our own needs and ways we want to process a loss, which of course is fine and deserves to be respected but as I reflect on my most recent bunch of losses (Mattie, Mary, Jocelyn, and Margaret) it is hard when your support networks you grew close to also die off and you can not turn to them to discuss the original loss and person who bound you together in the first place. Interesting what visiting today's restaurant evoked within me, no? Memories of a time gone by, changes that now exist that poignantly go beyond the restaurant's location but to the losses in friendship and people in my life.
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