Saturday, May 18, 2024

Saturday, May 18, 2024

Tonight's picture was taken in May of 2009. We were at the Mattie March, the special event Team Mattie planned for him on his school's track. That day the School's baseball team had an important game that they were heading to. Before the team loaded onto the bus to travel to the game, the team's coach handed Mattie a signed team ball and then Mattie got to fist pump each member of the team. A few days later, I heard the team won and they credited that to Mattie's fist pumps!

Quote of the day: Stab the body and it heals, but injure the heart and the wound lasts a lifetime. ~ Mineko Iwasaki

Tomorrow is Mattie Miracle's 15th Anniversary Walk. It is not too late to get involved. Sign up, support a walker or team, and donate. So far our thermometer reads: $83,568!

This is the first Walk, in 15 years, where I had to sit alone and give a greeting on behalf of the Foundation. It was a very unsettling, upsetting, and actually heart wrenching experience. In addition, technology isn't my strength! I read up on how to do a Facebook Live posting and to schedule it to go Live tomorrow. Of course, somehow I screwed that up and the video went live today! At first I was beating myself up about this screw up, but then I took a deep breath and realized, given all I am facing, I am lucky that there is a greeting at all. In any case, if you wish to listen to my four minute greeting, click on the link: https://fb.watch/s8Ee1ricD6/

My three things I am grateful today:

1. My friend Carolyn and her daughter, Ellie (a preschool classmate of Mattie's) visited me this morning! For 15 years, Carolyn has visited me the day before the Walk. She spoils me with treats (the cupcakes and flowers!) and we catch up about the raffle. 
2. The beauty of Mattie Miracle orange colored roses and cupcakes from Victoria's Cakery. A bakery close to where I live! Today, Carolyn and Ellie shared the trick to eating a cupcake. They cut the bottom off the cupcake and then smoosh it on top of the frosting. Making it into a layer cake. I can't wait to experiment with this Oreo technique!
3. After I caught up on some Foundation work, my dad wanted to go out to eat. He truly loves eating out. It is the highlight of his day. Unfortunately since Peter left, we only go out once a week. If my dad had his way, he would go out daily and I wish I could make that happen for them. But I can't, and there is just so much stress, angst, and upset I can own! In any case, because of his insistence, we went to the Cheesecake Factory. I have gotten to know one of the servers there quite well. Her name is Summer. I literally will wait twenty minutes to sit in Summer's section. She treats us that well, and I need as much support as I possibly can get. So I am grateful for Summer and for people like her who take their jobs seriously, who go out of their way to not just do their job, but do it with style, kindness, and caring. I notice and it makes a difference to my existence. Especially when I arrived at the restaurant I felt quite unstable, unsettled, and a feeling of panic was creeping in to overtake me.