Tonight's picture was taken in September of 2008. That day, Mattie was invited back to his preschool to have a playdate with his preschool friend Alex and many of his teachers at the school. This space served as a happy reminder to me of all the wonderful times Mattie had in preschool and the incredible friendships we made over those two years.
Quote of the day: The weird, weird thing about devastating loss is that life actually goes on. When you're faced with a tragedy, a loss so huge that you have no idea how you can live through it, somehow, the world keeps turning, the seconds keep ticking. ~ James Patterson
It was an early morning for me today, as I was up and moving at 5:30am. Prior to my parents moving in, the notion of me getting up that early after Mattie died was unheard of. I have never been a morning person, but my parents naturally awake early. Of course for them once they are done with breakfast, they can rest. I on the other hand keep going and going.
Our plumber was visiting our neighbor's house today. However, he came over to visit me before he headed over to the neighbor's house and then once he was done at her house, he came back to visit with me and my parents. I got to know this plumber when we first moved into the house. Since SO much was wrong with the house, Cody spent many days here, perhaps weeks, fixing things and bringing things back up to code. In any case, in the process we developed a friendship. He knows about what is going on with us and we know about his family and children. Like me, Cody loves sugar. Therefore when he comes over, I never let him leave without some treats for the road. In fact, Cody is the one who introduced his company to Mattie Miracle! He advocated for us there and we are very grateful for his support.
This morning I could tell that Cody wasn't himself. He looked tired and I asked him what was going on. He shared with me aspects of his life and then commented that he wished he was able to earn more and live a different life than the one he has. I listened and certainly understood. When we are going through difficult times, it is hard not to look at others and want what they have and perhaps be down on one's self. So I empathized, but then told him that he shouldn't compare himself to my neighbor or anyone else for that matter. We are all unique and within him I see many gifts, skills, and things that MONEY CAN'T BUY! His character and commitment to us as his customers tells me volumes about the special person that he is. After all, even when he isn't scheduled to come over and work with us, he will text message just to say hello and check in. To me, finding someone like Cody is very special, it isn't contrived, and at the end of the day, his character and commitment to his community are what makes him wealthy in a meaningful way.
I took my mom to her physical therapy appointment today. In tow, I brought her hat and sunglasses, because the therapy session was going to take place outside, so she could practice walking on uneven surfaces. Legally the therapist has to bring another staff member with her when leaving the clinic. So we met Daniella today. Daniella is from Bolivia and in her country she was a rehabilitation physician. She is working on becoming a physician in the USA. In any case, during the session, I heard Daniella ask our PT whether my mom has been assessed and tested. I knew exactly what she was asking because I am sure this physician feels my mom has a neurological disease. Which she does, but refuses to accept and therefore refuses to start medication. In any case, it was fascinating to see my mom through someone else's new lens. In a way, I felt vindicated because I have been saying since 2021, that something is wrong.
No comments:
Post a Comment