Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2008. We were outside in our commons area because a friend of ours brought over her dog to visit Mattie. She thought that would be a good way to get Mattie outside and playing. It worked very well. Mattie always wanted a dog and he was very animated to be around this very big furry friend. Despite being in a wheelchair (with his leg in a cast and up in the air), he got around and the dog was super patient and friendly with Mattie. This dog was a lot like Sunny in disposition despite his size.
Quote of the day: When you are stuck in the same routine for months, you stop seeing new opportunities. ~ Dhaval Gajera
I think there is some truth to tonight's quote! My routine always involves work. I can't think of the last day when I just sat around and did exactly what I wanted to do. Perhaps this is the problem with adulthood in general. But I do think the daily grind of a routine can wear one out and it is depressing. Yet I remember back to the days of living in the hospital and trying to cope with Mattie's cancer, and the only thing I could think of then was...... how lucky people are to have their daily and mundane routines. How I longed to be able to do daily chores around home and in town. In 2008 and 2009, that is what I wanted, and it seemed like something that would never occur in my life again. But fast forward to 2017, and here I am talking about daily chores. Despite my complaining, I always carry with me great perspective. Another thing I learned from Mattie. Who I consider my life's greatest teacher.
For a couple of hours today, I went to my friend's house to help her wrap Christmas presents. I have done this since 2009, the year Mattie died. It is a yearly tradition in a way. Now one could say that wrapping gifts is yet another chore. Which it is, but the difference was I was taken out of my environment for a while. There was no dog to walk, no caregiving to provide, no chores of any kind, just to stay in one place and wrap. I listened to the radio and tried to forget about my headache. What I thought would be a chore turned out to be a needed break. Below is a photo of some of the gifts I wrapped! I have perfected the art of cello wrapping. When we started the Mattie Miracle raffle years ago, I was determined to make our baskets look appealing, so people would buy tickets. So I taught myself how to do this! Now it isn't unusual for me to get wrapping requests from others!
1 comment:
Your wrapping is beautiful! I can see why you are in demand.
Perspective is important. It helps guide my life even if I am unsuccessful at following it!
Mattie' s picture puts many things into perspective about the horrors children go through during treatment for Cancer. I am glad to know the dog made him happy
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