Tonight's picture was taken in October of 2006. Mattie was four and half years old. This was a rare sight in our home! Mattie lying down! This only happened at night when it was time to go to bed or when Mattie was ill. Otherwise, Mattie was ON from the moment he woke up in the morning. I attribute this to Mattie understanding on some level that he did not have a lot of time on this earth, so he did not want to waste a minute of it sleeping.
Quote of the day: One day you’re going to remember me and how much I loved you… then you’re gonna hate yourself for letting me go. ~ Aubrey Drake Graham
Today I experienced many intense feelings. NONE of them had to do with Peter. I saw sides of humanity today that made me mad and deeply sad. I was driving my parents to our local diner. I have been home for the last few days dealing with non-stop colonoscopy prep, cooking, and cleaning. Today, after my mom's therapy appointment and after I finished my 7 hour dialectic behavioral therapy course (YAY!!!), I decided to take my parents out. It was 84 degrees in October, if only it could be this way 365 days a year.
As I was driving out of our community to the diner, I noticed a woman driving out of her driveway. That wasn't what caught my attention. What caught my attention was a little tan dog running in circles around her moving car. Seriously the dog was the size of a cat! Tiny and running in circles around a moving car! The woman did not STOP, she kept on driving, and literally drove out of her driveway into the busy street. Guess what? The dog also kept going! He did not stop at the curb. Instead, the dog flew out into the street, chasing her car. When he realized she wasn't coming back, he sat in the middle of the street and then started darting back and forth in the street. This particular street is BUSY! I was LIVID at what I was seeing. I could see cars coming head on, who did not see the dog. I stopped my car and pushed down on my horn and wouldn't stop with the horn until I got every driver's attention. They then saw what I was seeing and honking about. I pulled my car over, got out, and assessed the dog. The dog came up to me, tail wagging. So friendly! I literally picked this cutie up and had it in my arms like a baby. I crossed the busy street and decided to walk up the driveway to see if someone else was home for this dog. Meanwhile this dog was licking my face and absolutely a loving and gentle pooch. A pooch who deserves a better and more responsible owner.
As I was walking up the driveway, a man came from the backyard. He was on his cell phone and talking. I didn't care! I started talking to him, even though he was on the phone. I asked him if this was his dog. He said yes, and he told me that the dog loves chasing after his wife's car! I said it is bad enough that this little dog is chasing after a moving car in the driveway, but when the dog proceeds to the street, where cars are all around, then this becomes very unsafe for the dog and for drivers. The owner did not care! He did not stop talking on his cell phone, he did not thank me for saving his dog, and he literally grabbed the dog out of my arms by the scruff of the dog's neck. It took every ounce of energy not to smack this man. He is lucky to have a healthy and loving dog and he treats it poorly.
When we got to the diner, I parked the car close to the entrance. I helped my mom out and then I opened my truck to get my dad's tote bag and walker. When I closed the trunk, I noticed a four year old girl walking around the parking lot by herself with NO shoes on. I told my mom to wait and my dad was still sitting in the car. While walking over to her, I could see a woman a few cars down, sitting on the ground next to a minivan. She had her head down in her knees and she too had no shoes on. But she did have a cell phone. I walked up to the four year old, who literally could have gotten hit by a car and she naturally took my hand. I then asked her.... "is your mom around?" She pointed to the distraught woman with her head down in her knees. I told the little girl to take me over to her mom. She did. When I got to where the woman was, she did not seem to care that I was holding her daughter's hand. She did not seem to care that her daughter was walking around the parking lot alone, and basically she did not seem like she could function.
I then asked the woman if this was her daughter. It was like I broke her out of a trance. With that she focused on me, looked at both of us, and called her daughter over to her and began talking to her in a foreign language. I did not feel comfortable leaving these two in the middle of the parking lot. I asked the mother if she was okay, if I could help her, if I should get help, and she did not respond. I am not sure if she understood me, but she understood me when I asked her if this was her daughter. The whole scene was disheartening. I couldn't tell if they were homeless, refugees, abandoned, if the mom was on drugs, or what. But I knew enough to know that this little girl has a lifetime of heartache in her future.
When I got into the diner I inquired as to whether they had seen this mom and little girl before. They hadn't, but they were as concerned as I was. A team of staff went out and combed the parking lot looking for these two, because they were going to help me get help for the mom and child. This speaks volumes about the Carnegie Deli. They DID the RIGHT thing, and showed great concern for our fellow human beings. Both mom and child moved on and we couldn't find them. Needless to say, I can't get them out of my mind, and if you are a praying individual, consider saying a prayer for this little girl and mom.
Now I also have to admit that prior to stepping in and getting involved with this child and mom, I scanned the entire parking lot first. I wasn't sure if this was a scam and perhaps while I went to help, someone was going to hit or attack us. YES this is the state of my mind these days, or perhaps a sign of the times we are living in. Given I am with my parents, and they are fragile, I have to think of their safety first. When I saw NO one around, only people coming and going into the diner, I proceeded quickly over to the child first.
Naturally I felt good about saving the dog from harm's way. With the little girl, I do not feel like I was as successful. Certainly I saved her from being hit by a car or grabbed by someone else who may not have good intentions, but I could tell these two individuals need help. I will have my eye out for them when we go back to the diner and next time I will call for assistance, because in my opinion they needed an intervention. I now have the Coordinated Services Planning phone number in my address book!
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