Sunday, October 7, 2018

Sunday, October 7, 2018

Tonight's picture was taken in October of 2006. Mattie was four years old and out pumpkin picking at Butler's  Orchard in Maryland. We took Mattie to this Orchard twice a year, in October and in April for their Easter Egg Hunt. The pumpkin picking experience was right up Mattie's alley. It involved a hay wagon ride out to a pumpkin patch and then picking your own pumpkin! We never came home with just one either. 


Quote of the day: It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching. ~ Francis of Assisi

There is something very therapeutic about walking at Roosevelt Island. I know it used to do wonders for Mattie when he was a little one. In fact, I would say Mattie was most calm and peaceful when he was outside interacting with nature. While walking on the Island today, I heard Peter reflecting about his weekend walks alone on the Island the entire first year after Mattie died. I remember Peter would get up very early and probably was on the Island by 6am. As he was unable to sleep and also it was very hard to adjust to having NO WEEKENDS with our son around. Weekends for us were a painful nightmare. Roosevelt Island serves so many purposes for us, but overall I would say it symbolizes an Island for healing. 

Along our walk today, we literally found two baby deer eating along the pathway. Sunny was VERY interested in approaching the deer. But was calm while we stopped and took photos. 

Here's the thing I observed. There were other people around us, talking and walking. But when people saw the deer, they stopped talking and walking and just took the moment in. This is what nature allows us to do as humans.... to escape and just be for a few minutes without photos and agendas. 

This wonderful monarch butterfly was sitting on the ground upside down. It was right in the middle of the pathway, and could easily be stepped upon. I picked it up with a branch and transferred to a leaf. It was still alive and hopefully now has a chance at life. 

This wonderful painted box turtle was literally crossing the pathway in front of us. Sunny did not know what to make out of it! Peter relocated this cutie into the woods, because it blended in so well with the pathway, it would be easy for others not to see it. 

There were so many wonderful sighting on the Island today, sightings that I know would have caused great excitement in Mattie.