Sunday, December 6, 2015

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2008. Mattie was home recovering from his limb salvaging surgeries. That was one difficult period of time. It was around that time I began to see his personality changing and it being affected from his intensive treatment cycle. One of Mattie's friends gave us this great elf hat and reindeer headband. Peter was trying to perk Mattie up and pretended to be part of a sleigh with Mattie being Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer, guiding the ride! Of course Mattie could hardly walk or stand on his two feet without support, but he was giving it his all! Besides Mattie's bald head, you can see two tubes hanging beneath his shirt. This tubes were part of his broviac catheter which was how his chemo, all blood draws, and other medications were administered. In essence they were tubes that went through his chest and into a vein leading just above the heart. It was daunting at first knowing that these tubes were always hanging from Mattie's body and if yanked or pulled hard, would cause him to bleed out and die.


Quote of the day: One of the most important things you can do on this earth is to let people know they are not alone. ~  Shannon L. Alder

After 10 years of working on K Street in Washington, DC, Peter's company is moving to Virginia. It is an end of an era for us. Ten years ago, Mattie and I helped Peter move into his office and decorate it. It is a part of our family history in a way. This was the first time in Peter's career that he earned his own office space. So it was a big deal to us and Mattie loved to visit Peter in the office. 

Peter's office is a real conversation piece. It is filled with beautiful framed pieces of art, all sorts of collectibles, hand carved wooden statues he brought back from his countless trips to Africa, and of course Mattie photos and art creations! 

Peter even has a coffee machine, cookies, and candy in his office for his colleagues to use! Mind you the office has its own coffee machine, but Peter's coffee machine brews flavored espresso. VERY POPULAR!

Peter's shelves have have books, plants (which have taken over and are thriving) and all sorts of Mattie memorabilia. 

I went in with Peter today to start packing up this special space!

What is totally noteworthy is the sign behind Peter's office door. It was created by Mattie and I in 2005, when Peter got his own office. It reads, "Congratulations Daddy, we are proud of you!" Along with these words are all sorts of Mattie doodles! Peter has had this sign for ten years and today I took it down to preserve it. 

Who would think that saying good-bye to an office would be so complex?! But for me it is, because this was another space that Mattie touched and was a part of. Physical spaces are important to me as are certain objects because they hold memories and the spirit of our special boy.