Saturday, August 23, 2025

Saturday, August 23, 2025

Tonight's picture was taken in August of 2006. Mattie was four years old and that week, my parents and I took Mattie to San Diego. Mattie loved these road trips and truly there was something magical about San Diego. That day we visited Balboa Park, which to me is a must see if in the area. This is an 1,200 acre park filled with museums, restaurants, and the famous San Diego Zoo.  I happen to love lotus flowers, so when I saw them in the park, I pointed them out to Mattie. Mattie knew what they were already because our of annual visits to the DC Aquatic Gardens. What you may not be able to see in this photo was Mattie holding toy cars in each hand! A Mattie trademark!

Quote of the day: It must be those brief moments when nothing has happened - nor is going to. Tiny moments, like islands in the ocean beyond the grey continent of our ordinary days. There, sometimes, you meet your own heart like someone you've never known. ~ Hans Børli

At Easter time, I featured three Kalanchoe plants on our dining room table. Since April, I have kept these plants alive in these tiny pots. Today, I decided to repot them and place them in my kitchen plant stand. I used to buy flowers for special occasions. Now I only buy plants, because after the event, I land up cultivating the plants and either using them in my garden or inside. 

My mornings are hard! There is really no other way to say it. As my dad's dementia moves from the moderate to late stage of the disease, he has lost control of his bodily functions. Therefore, the clean ups in the morning are a killer. Though his side of the bed is fully lined with waterproof pads, everything needs to be soaked in white vinegar and then washed daily. Today, my order for waterproof pillow protectors came in, which will be a blessing, because I prop my dad's legs up with pillows at night, and each morning, I land up having to soak and then wash the pillows. What once was a 30 minute washing and dressing routine with my dad, is now a 90 minute routine. 

My dad's physical therapist came over today and while she was with us, we chatted. While chatting, I repotted plants. Many of the plants that go on this stand are outside now, and will come inside for the fall. I still remember getting these beautiful flower pots when I moved into the house.....because they have Mattie Miracle colors. In every part of our home, there is some sort of tribute to Mattie. Some tributes are very noticeable and others are very subtle! But Mattie's presence is alive and well in my home, car, and heart.  

My dad's physical therapist is in the process of buying her first home with her significant other. I remember that stressful moment so well, as it wasn't that long ago that I moved into this house. I had no idea when we moved in 2021, that my life would be dramatically altered. When Mattie died, I no longer could handle hearing about people's pregnancies and babies, and now I would say that all the things associated with marriage are topics that cause my heart to skip a beat. It is getting to the point that soon, I will not be able to relate to anything or anyone!