Tonight's picture was taken in March of 2009. It was a special day at the hospital, as Mattie attended the ribbon cutting ceremony for the child life playroom. The playroom was sponsored by Toys R Us, which was why their giraffe mascot was in attendance. As you can see Mattie and the Geoffrey the Giraffe got along great. Mattie had a wonderful time at the whole event. I have no idea how we would have survived without this playroom, as this space enabled us to have moments of fun and normalcy! In the playroom, Mattie was a child, not a child with cancer.
Quote of the day: Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver. ~ Barbara de Angelis
After dropping my dad off at his memory care center, I headed to the grocery store. While in the car, the song, The Fall, came on. If you haven't heard this song, I included it below. It is a reflective country ballad about embracing life's hardships, acknowledging that personal failures, pain, and struggles are worthwhile for the sake of the journey. It emphasizes resilience, suggesting that the "ride" (life) is worth the "fall" (failures/hardships).
Typically I do not like the notion that everything happens for a reason, or that we gain perspective and strength through pain. I don't like these notions because to me they are platitudes used to help those of us in pain find hope and meaning. However, this song somehow resonated with me. There are plenty of times when my mom will say to me now..... "I wish you never met your ex-husband, and instead that you married someone else who appreciates and loves you." I totally understand what she is saying, because if I were in her shoes and someone hurt my baby (Mattie), all I can say is .... God help you. But as I remind my mom, if I did not marry my ex-husband there would be no Mattie. Mattie was meant to be born and I was meant to be his mom.
This afternoon, I took my mom to Starbucks for tea. As soon as I walked in, a manager came over to talk with me. He asked me if I received my free gift! Honestly I had NO IDEA what he was talking about. So he elaborated. A month or so ago, a woman was in Starbucks with her husband. They were sitting right next to us. Suddenly I noticed her husband slumping over and about to pass out. She tried to catch him, but she couldn't manage him alone. I instantly jumped up to help her. She was very embarrassed and I told her not to be. She then wanted to get her car to transport him to the doctor, but she did not want to leave him alone. So I sat right next to him and made sure he remained conscious and upright. When she pulled up, I helped her get her husband outside and to the car.
Victoria,
Thank you for helping us last time when my husband almost passed out on the chair next to you. I just want to show our appreciation and you accept it!
I have to tell you I am still stunned that this woman would take the time to write me a note and to pay for our entire order! When I helped her, I did this because this is just who I am. I had no intention to receive kudos and a gift. I was deeply touched by this note and generosity today from a complete stranger. Somehow this note restores my faith and hope in humanity, as we live in a crazy world, where each day we hear of someone hurting someone else. What this letter confirms to me is that there are good people/angels among us, and despite the horrors we see and hear on the news or experienced personally, we always need to true to ourselves, because as today's illustrates.....one drop of kindness in the world has a way of spreading.
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