Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Tuesday, December 20, 2016 -- Mattie died 379 weeks ago today. 

Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2003. Mattie was a year and a half old, and this was the photo on the front of our Christmas card that year. At that age, Mattie couldn't sit still long enough to take a photo. So that day we dressed Mattie in a Christmas sweater and brought him to Lowe's. Mattie liked three stores.... Target, Home Depot, and Lowe's. Mostly because these stores have wide open spaces and people aren't on top of you. But I knew these stores had Christmas displays. So while Mattie was checking out the lights and trees, we snapped several photos. This was the one that made the card!


Quote of the day: Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. ~ Francis P. Church

Today we were invited to my mother-in-law's friends' home. They have this rescue dog name Simon. Simon is a cutie and about ten years old. He has a lot of spunk and personality. However, his owners said he is not a lap dog. In true dog fashion, Simon decided to prove his owners wrong in front of company no less. Simon was sitting right next to me and when he looks at you with his big brown eyes, you feel like he really understands you!

I posted this photo a couple of nights ago! This was taken in 2006. We took Mattie for a walk in the woods behind the house Peter grew up in. Mattie loved exploring the woods and of course Peter spent many hours in these woods as a kid. 

Today we introduced Sunny to these same woods. This is a photo of my two boys, with one very special boy missing. This will be our 8th Christmas without Mattie, but that doesn't mean we have gotten used to living without his presence. Holidays are about children and when people around us gather with theirs or talk to us about them..... well we can't help but feel a deeper sense of pain. On top of the pain we naturally live with. 

The sun setting while we were walking through the woods! It was a beautiful sight. Today was in the 30's and in comparison to yesterday, it felt like a heat wave!!!