Monday, February 17, 2025

Monday, February 17, 2025

Tonight's picture was taken in February of 2009. This was what a typical physical therapy session looked like for Mattie. Truly incredible if you think about it! In the conga line (from front to back) was: Mattie, Jenny (Mattie's art therapist), Denise (Mattie's social worker), Jessie (Mattie's art therapist), and a physical therapy intern. The hand you see on the left holding the IV line was Anna, Mattie's physical therapist. Truly I have NO IDEA what I would have done without these incredible ladies. To this day, I still communicate with Jenny, Denise, and Anna. That is how significant and lasting a bond we created under the worst of circumstances. Through Mattie's cancer journey I learned so much about people, true friendships, and courage, and I witnessed the extraordinary feats of compassion that we experienced every day from our care team and Team Mattie. 

Quote of the day: It’s your reaction to adversity, not adversity itself that determines how your life’s story will develop. ~ Dieter F. Uchtdorf

It was a busy morning in my house! My dad's physical therapist had a session with him today. My dad has three different therapists that work with him, and this particular therapist typically works with my dad at his memory care center. Therefore, I do not get to see their sessions. But today, the session was done at our home! I have to tell you, I was stunned by what I was seeing. My dad was walking at a quick pace, was alert, and did not tire out from therapy. This is a night and day experience than I have with my dad, and what I observe during my dad's in-home sessions with his two female therapists. Today's therapist was a man, and I am not sure if it is a gender thing or what, but my dad was compliant and energized. Ironically this therapist says this is how my dad is when he works with him. Which led us to question..... why isn't he like this with the rest of us????? When I walk with my dad or ask him to do anything physical, it is like he is walking through taffy! Everything is labored and he gets out of breath. Which was why today was glorious to see, because this was the energy level I saw my dad at in 2021. It is possible today was an off day, but this is NOT what the therapist reports!!!!

While juggling the therapist, I had our landscaper visit. I have a team of two men that I work with to help me care for the property. I had Steve over today because I couldn't get the outside lights to work. The lights you see here have been off for over a year, making it very dark outside. I had my electrician look at this problem in the fall, and he felt that it would take him hours to trace the lines alone, to figure out the problem. He recommended me to contact my landscaper. You want to know how long it took for Steve to identify the problem? Try five minutes. Within minutes, he found the wire that had been chewed through by a chipmunk! When my Sunny was alive, we had NO squirrels or chipmunks in the backyard. Mainly because he would chase them right off the property! But without my herding dog, all the critters are back!

I can't tell you what a glorious sight it is to see the backyard lit up again... and then there was light! It feels like a miracle. This is today's blessing!