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Tonight's picture was taken in September of 2005. Mattie was three years old. We took him to a park that weekend and I have NO IDEA what possessed Mattie to find this big log and carry it around. With Mattie there was always a plan and he was very good at recruiting help and participation in his antics. All I know is Mattie made life more fun, entertaining, and memorable.
Quote of the day: There are three needs of the griever: To find the words for the loss, to say the words aloud and to know that the words have been heard. ~ Victoria Alexander
I made the executive decision last night that I wouldn't get my dad up early this morning. I was a speaker on a live webinar from 9am to 10:30am. Certainly I could have gotten my dad up and ready, but the reality is if he was up, I wouldn't be able to concentrate. He'd be up and down running to the bathroom, and the bathroom is right outside my office door, which has floor to ceiling glass panels. Therefore, for 90 minutes, I wanted to have peace, to be able to be myself without worrying about everyone else! I made the RIGHT decision! It was the best 90 minutes of my week! https://www.ipos-society.org/event-5289536
I have shared a few of my other presentation slides with you, but I am going to show you four more tonight!
- Mattie’s healthcare team visited his room about an hour after he died.
- They sat in a circle, around Mattie's body.
- They held an impromptu celebration of his life at his bedside.
- Stories, special moments, and memories were shared.
- During this most vulnerable time, we learned that Mattie’s life and legacy will always remain alive within each of them.
- They are our memory keepers.
- I shared with the audience some of the tangible legacy items that we have, starting with Mattie's memorial oak tree at his school. I explained that we visit and decorate that tree throughout the year on special occasions and holidays.
- We have two difference pavers. One is at the church where we held Mattie's funeral and the other is at Mattie's hospital.
- We have a memory quilt comprised of some of Mattie's clothes.
- Then I highlighted the two photos on the lower right hand corner. One is a short story Mattie created while at the hospital. This story was framed and to this day is STILL hanging in the children's art gallery of the hospital. People who know us and go to Georgetown, send me photos on occasion while they walking through the gallery. The sign that says 'Georgetown' hangs in the pediatric units of the hospital. Anyone getting off the elevator and onto the in-patient floor sees this sign. Mattie's footprint is on the upper right hand corner. To this day, now 14 years later, this sign is still on display. These tangible items remind me that Mattie's spirit and legacy are alive within his community.
- Daily blog postings since 2008. That’s 15 years of writing!
- Photos, videos and reflections on Mattie’s life and our grief journey.
- Blog followers, many who have NEVER met Mattie, feel like they know him through my postings.
- Followers send me their own photos of things that remind them of Mattie.
- Mattie loved his art therapists and child life specialist.
- He loved to create and used all sorts of media... paint, clay, cardboard boxes, and Legos.
- Mattie's legacy is found within his artwork and our shared experiences creating them.
- The artwork and photos are constant reminders of who was Mattie, what he valued, and what direction we should take, as his parents, when building his legacy.
- These photos also show me that Mattie was happiest when creating and supported psychosocially.
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