Monday, November 27, 2017

Monday, November 27, 2017

Tonight picture was taken in November of 2005. We took Mattie to Great Falls. If you look closely, the backdrop in the photo was the water and falls. Mattie loved the freedom this park provided with its wide open spaces! I think Mattie would be very happy to know that Sunny also enjoys this park. 


Quote of the day: Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud. ~ Maya Angelou

I had lunch with my friend Christine today. Christine's son, Campbell, and Mattie were the closest of friends in kindergarten. These two boys were very bright and creative and had no trouble with imaginative play. Meaning they did not need electronics/technology to have a good time playing with each other. Their fun came from within. Naturally as Mattie played with Campbell, I had the opportunity to make a friend as well. That was 11 years ago, and Christine is still involved in our lives as a steadfast supporter and she also runs our registration tent at our annual walks. Which is a huge job. 

When Mattie died, Christine and my friend Ellen gave me two plants. Each plant was tiny back in 2009. Not even knee height. I took a photo of the two plants for Christine to see today. That wispy plant in the corner is a Dracaena. That was one of the plants Christine gave me. Look how tall it is now!!! Note that I have also snipped many branches off this tree and started baby plants from this mother plant. 

The second plant Christine gave me was a rubber fig. It is the big tall leafy plant in the corner. We have nicknamed this plant, Jack. Like Jack in the Beanstalk. Jack actually was ceiling height, but we cut it in half over the summer. Clearly that inspired it to leaf out more. But again, when I received this plant it wasn't even knee high!

I received two gifts today. Not physical gifts, but verbal ones. Which to me are the best kinds of gifts! At lunch Christine was telling me about her older son's wedding. While at the wedding, Abba's Dancing Queen started playing. Christine said that her son told her he couldn't dance to this song, because all he could think of when hearing it was Mattie. Dancing Queen was the song Mattie played while doing physical therapy at the hospital. Which is why Mattie Miracle starts every Foundation Walk with Dancing Queen. I was very touched to hear what an impact Mattie's life and story has had on this young man. Moms who lost a child to cancer really need to hear these kinds of stories and messages, otherwise it is very easy to think that no one remembers or cares. 

This evening, I received an email from another friend of mine. She wanted me to know that she went back to read the blog from 2008, when Mattie was in treatment. She wanted me to know that my words were poignant and eloquent. So much so that my words and experiences give her insights as she helps and supports other parents like me. That to me is the ultimate gift to hear, that my words have meaning and purpose. Every writer wants to know that his/her words deliver a gift! The gift isn't always sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes the gift is opening up new ways of thinking, offering different perspectives, and hopefully allowing our minds and hearts to be transformed so that we can have more authentic connections with others in our lives. Needless to say, I received two unexpected gifts today and both are cherished, because at the end of the day they circle back to Mattie. Which was and continues to be my life's mission.... to raise Mattie and to nurture and preserve his memory.