Saturday, November 24, 2018

Saturday, November 24, 2018

Tonight's picture was taken in November of 2003. Mattie was a year and a half old and as you can see he liked to play in the kitchen sink. He loved sitting high up and looking out the window. He did not want to get washed in the sink or even have the water turned on. It was simply the fun of sitting in a space that no one else could fit in that captured Mattie's attention.  



Quote of the day: If you feel lost, disappointed, hesitant, or weak, return to yourself, to who you are, here and now and when you get there, you will discover yourself, like a lotus flower in full bloom, even in a muddy pond, beautiful and strong. ~ Masaru Emoto

During the candy drive, I received this wonderful turkey from my friend, Ali. Ali happens to be the daughter of my friend, Margaret. Margaret was Mattie's preschool teacher and became a close friend of mine. Unfortunately Margaret was diagnosed with ALS and died on June 1, 2014. 

It was Ali who reached out to me and offered the use of her garage for the candy drive. This was the first year we hosted the drive at Ali's home. During the candy drive, Ali's three children would come into the garage each day after school to check on the candy supply and to sort candy. We spent a lot of time together. So much so, that our candy sorting was added as an activity to their paper turkey. The feathers of this turkey highlight memories for the month of November. 

I did not want to disappoint the children, so I ordered toys for them before leaving for Boston. Two of Ali's children have November birthdays, so they had a joint party. However, I bought three gifts, because I did not want Ali's third child to feel left out.

This is a photo of Ali with two of her children celebrating birthdays. Charlotte wanted a puppy cake and Grayson wanted a Mickey Mouse cake. So literally it was a cute puppy cake with a Mickey Mouse dog tag. 

Adorable!

While at the party, I had the opportunity to meet Margaret's son. I knew of him, but never had the chance to interact with him until tonight. What I noticed immediately is that Margaret's son has her eyes. Not to mention many of her facial expressions. It truly caught me off guard because for a brief moment, I saw my friend again. 


Peter and I also spoke with a few of Ali's neighbors, both of whom wanted our business cards because they want to donate to Mattie Miracle. In fact, after I spoke to one neighbor about St. Jude, he decided to rethink his monthly donation to this medical research institution. The bottom line is the majority of children do not get treated at St. Jude, but instead at local hospitals. Which is why it is imperative to support local treatment sites, who will accept all children with cancer. No eligibility requirements must be met, and no medical referrals are needed for entry to a local hospital, unlike at St. Jude. 

On our drive home, we were followed by a big Mattie Moon. I think Mattie wanted to remind us that he is with us always. Going to any party, especially one that involves children, is hard for us. Chances are people will ask us about ourselves and our children. We explained to several people tonight that we lost Mattie to cancer. People then feel bad for asking, and think that they have upset us. Which isn't true, asking us isn't the problem. What is the problem is the reality, a reality that walks with us every day and every minute of every day.