Tonight's picture was taken in September of 2008. As you can see, Mattie was sitting in front of a laptop computer. This computer was given to Mattie by his technology teacher, Mary (of course when Mattie died, we gave the computer back to the school). Mary visited Mattie in the hospital on a weekly basis. This wasn't her assignment from the school. Rather she elected to do this on her own time. This should tell you a lot about Mary. Mattie knew Mary from his kindergarten year at the school. In fact, Mattie was very fond of Mary and he loved her class and her style of teaching. Once Mary found out about Mattie's cancer diagnosis, she took it upon herself to continue teaching Mattie and felt that he needed a computer so they could work more effectively together. Besides these visits being stimulating for Mattie, they also gave me an hour to leave the room and regroup. So Mary was actually helping Mattie and me. Yet Mary somehow understood that Mattie wasn't always in the mood for a lesson. He wasn't shy about that either and would outright tell her. Of course Mary could have said okay and then left, but she didn't. Instead, she would work with Mattie on whatever he wanted to do. Many times that meant that Mary got wrapped up into Mattie's play schemes. Mary was one of the many amazing people who Mattie introduced me to and I will always be grateful to Mary for her visits and treating Mattie with dignity.
Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins.
- number of people diagnosed with the virus: 6,435,528
- number of people who died from the virus: 192,792
On the 19th anniversary of 9/11, it is my hope that we all remember this day. As 3,000 people lost their lives, and countless others who have survived are left with long term health consequences. Whether we know someone who died on 9/11 or not, it is a day that should make us all pause and reflect as a Country. I admit I did not lose a family member on that day or a close friend. Though my high school librarian (who we all loved), died in one of the planes which hit world trade center. So I will always remember Mary Lynn Edwards Angell.
I also associate 9/11 with my pregnancy. As on 9/11/2001, I was scheduled to have my first obstetrician visit. That never happened. Instead, pregnant with Mattie I was glued to the TV, like so many others in the USA and around the world. I can still recall the feeling of fear I had the concern I had for my baby and its (didn't know gender that early on) future.
Given that we are all faced with the lockdowns associated with COVID, I have been following the controversy about whether or not to have gatherings and particularly whether the names of victims would be allowed to be read at Ground Zero in NYC. I completely understand the health threat and public safety, but I also feel that family, friends and first responders need this outlet to remember and share in their collective and lifelong grief. Which is why I was glad to see the coverage of Ground Zero today, because those who are LEFT BEHIND need to absolutely hear their family members' names. Yes that matters and yes it helps with coping with such a traumatic loss.
Each year, the 9/11 Memorial gives seedlings from the Survivor Tree to three communities that have endured tragedy in recent years. The recipients this year of a sapling were three hospitals within the boroughs of NYC. One being the Montefiore health system, which lost 27 front line workers to the virus.
Symbols and connecting to nature are crucial to survivors. It helps us feel a continued connection to our loved one, to invest back into our world as we watch this tree grow and thrive, and provides hope that we do have a future (though very different than how we thought or intended it to be).
Tree that survived 9/11 serves as inspiration for past, future:
https://abc7ny.com/911-never-forget-september-11-attacks-memorial-2020/6417329/
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