Sunday, July 28, 2019

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Tonight's picture was taken in July of 2007. That weekend, like many weekends, we took Mattie to Roosevelt Island. Peter snapped a photo of us as we were crossing over the bridge to get to the Island. The Island holds many special memories. So much so, that the first year after Mattie died, Peter would get up very very early and walk the Island by himself. Now we share the Island with Sunny, but of course my first thought always when crossing this bridge is Mattie. 







Quote of the day: I BELIEVE IN ANGELS, THE KIND THAT HEAVEN SENDS. I’M SURROUNDED BY ANGELS, AND I CALL THEM MY BEST FRIENDS. ~ PAMELA DARANJO

I was scheduled to meet my friend Ann and her husband, Bob, at Clyde's today. I thought the four of us were getting together for a birthday brunch. It never dawned on me that there was a surprise party planned. Something that Peter and Ann cooked up together for months. I consider myself observant, yet I have no idea how I interacted with Peter daily and my friends, and no one told me. 

I am not your typical person. Some people like surprises and parties. Unfortunately I am not one of them. After Mattie died, my feelings about being in a group has changed dramatically, not to mention that I do better celebrating others than myself.   

With that said, I am deeply grateful that my husband and good friends thought about me so much that they planned this party. I am holding onto that feeling, yet if I was being completely honest, parties make me sad. Sad bordering on depressed. 

My mom was clearly busy as she sent Ann a ton of photos. Photos of me were scattered throughout the room! It was like a walk down memory lane. Some photos I don't ever remember taking! It was like seeing them for the first time. 

Anyone who knows me knows that I wouldn't have worn this old sun dress to a party. To me what I wear also impacts how I feel.

The flowers were beautiful. Sunflowers are special to me, and the colors highlighted Mattie Miracle! 

Peter and Ann made this special collage for me. The photos were priceless, and I appreciate my mom digging through albums at home to retrieve them. 

Our group today!

Photos on plants! Photos everywhere. I am a big photo person, so this was very meaningful. 

Peter designed the most amazing cake! He had it done at Creative Cakes! This is the same bakery we used for many of Mattie's birthday cakes. So this holds even more meaning to me. 

The top layer was chocolate and the bottom was lemon with raspberries. Both were incredibly delicious! 

The photo on the left was with me and Ginger, the German Shepherd. Ginger was my neighbor's dog. Who I used to walk. I never remember even posing for this photo. I had to be around 13. 

A friend of mine created this touching listing of things she loves about me! I found it very touching. In fact, Ann made me a memory book which highlights photos and special sentiments from my friends and family!

Do you see the book? It is priceless.

Some of the brunch items. 

Me with Ann. 

Me with Tricia. Mattie's favorite nurse. Tricia is practically part of our family and honestly when I feel uncertain about things (like a party), she seems to know to stay close. 

Me with my friend Denise. As Denise mentioned today, she was the second person in the room who has known me the longest. We went to graduate school together and have been friends ever since. Peter and I value her whole family's support!

Me with my friends Catherine and Brian. Mattie went to preschool with their daughter, Sara Catherine. 

 Peter hired Michelle, a pianist! She played "the way you look tonight" several times. A famous Frank Sinatra song, which Peter and I danced to at our wedding. 

 Me with my friends Margy and Ken. Margy is my first Facebook friend. We have a lot in common and share a special friendship. 

Me with my friends Ilona and Attila. Ilona also lost her only child to cancer, and we have been friends for over five years now. 

Me with Dawnee and Greg. Dawnee was the assistant director of Mattie's preschool. You should see a trend here, many of my friends in this room got connected to me through Mattie. 

Me with Grace and Mark. Mattie went to preschool with their son, John. 

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Me with Junko and Tad. Mattie went to kindergarten with their son, Kazu. Junko visited me often in the hospital and I will never forget her countless neck and back massages right in the middle of the hospital hallways. 

Me with my friends Mary and Lexi. 

Me with my friends Tanja and Katharina. 

Me with my friends Julie and Jenny. 

Me with my friend Marisa. Marisa has been working with our family since she was in high school. The summer of 2009, she came to our home and played with Mattie, to give us breaks. Now Marisa runs our Foundation bake sales, and has been doing this for ten years.