Tonight's picture was taken in July of 2005. Mattie was three years old. That week we took Mattie to Boston to visit my in-laws. We went on a strawberry picking adventure and "Farmer Brown" was in his element. Mattie absolutely LOVED IT! My mother-in-law raised two boys, so she knew how to keep Mattie engaged and moving.
Quote of the day: Empaths did not come into this world to be victims, we came to be warriors. Be brave. Stay strong. We need all hands on deck. ~ Anthon St. Maarten
This morning, my mom had physical therapy at home. Frankly I wasn't sure she could handle it. She is wiped out and even more wobbly on her feet this week since my dad has been hospitalized. While she was with her therapist, I went to return the bed rail I purchased for my dad's side of the bed and then I stopped at Lowe's and picked up "New Jack."
In 2009, after Mattie died, my friends gave me a beautiful rubber tree fig, who I nicknamed, "Jack," for Jack in the beanstalk. When I first received Jack, he was about the same height you see with New Jack! Over the last 16 years, Jack grew over 5 feet tall. However, about a week ago, it dropped all its leaves and died (seems like a trend in my life). There was nothing I could do to resuscitate it! So this morning, I planted "New Jack!" There is something special about a rubber fig tree! They remind me of the beauty of the tropics.
While I was in the therapy session, in walked Jennifer. Jennifer is the director of the rehab. I met her back in 2022, when my dad had a pacemaker placement. After one week in the hospital, my dad couldn't move from bed. The hospital wanted to discharge him to a nursing home. I wasn't having any of that, and networked my way around the hospital, until I discovered that the hospital had an acute rehab and I got connected to Jennifer. Jennifer was able to stop my dad's discharge until a bed was ready in her acute care. That may not sound like a big deal, but it was HUGE. Huge, because that one decision changed the course of my dad's future. He was given the intensive therapies he needed so he could come back and live with me. When Jennifer walked into the therapy room today, she came specifically to see me. There was no hand shaking, but hugs. That is how grateful I am to this woman! As she said to me today... "we are exactly the same, we both advocate fiercely for the ones we love." Refreshing that someone gets me, because typically I can be viewed as a problem. A problem because when I know what my dad needs, I DO NOT back down. I am like a bulldog, and those who eventually get to know me, land up respecting me for both the care I provide my dad and for having the courage to take on a dysfunctional healthcare system regulated by insurers! As Jennifer said... "your dad looks as good as he does at 90 because of you." Her feedback meant the world to me today, because there is nothing I wouldn't do for those I love.
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