Tonight's picture was taken in June of 2009. I remember this day as if it were yesterday, and I bet if I asked Peter if he recalls this day, he would too! It wasn't so much the fact that we took Mattie to see a Nationals baseball game, but it was what happened while pushing his wheelchair through the Park that was memorable. We had a ton of people staring at us and truly looking at Mattie as if he was odd and had four heads.... rather than having compassion and understanding! The only lovely person we met that day was a man from the Army who was giving out free t-shirts. The slogan on the t-shirt was.... Army Strong. He came over to Mattie and he said that he thought Mattie deserved this shirt. It was a lovely gesture and it meant a lot to me. After Mattie's death, Peter wore that shirt for many years to come.
Quote of the day: Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be normal. ~ Albert Camus
It has been a long day today of working and running around. I feel like I can now say I have officially wrapped up the Foundation's Walk, as I have just finished writing the June newsletter which reports out the results of the Walk. It is a wonderful feeling to have that behind me. But Monday, Post-Father's Day is always challenging. Actually a Monday, post any holiday is hard. Not that holidays themselves aren't hard, they are, but we brace ourselves for them and then when they are over, the feelings from them seem compounded. So Camus' quote really hit me tonight. Because I agree with his notion, as if he thought of someone who was grieving when he wrote it. To appear normal and to fit within society, after losing a child, requires great strength and it does require a great expenditure of energy.
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