Tonight's picture was taken in June of 2004. During our drive up to Boston from DC, we stopped at a McDonald's. Mattie loved french fries and vanilla shakes. So we got these items for him and as you can see I was sitting in the back seat with him. If the three of us were in the car, I typically sat with Mattie in the back seat until he got older. Peter snapped this photo because something funny was said between him and me and Mattie was absolutely cracking up with laughter.
Quote of the day: Nothing is more contagious as an example. We never do great good or great evil without bringing about more of the same on the part of others. ~ Francois De La Rochefoucauld
A day never to be forgotten....... Seven years ago TODAY we learned that Mattie's cancer metastasized throughout his body and we went from actively fighting cancer, to finding a way to come to terms with the fact that he was dying!.
Four children a day in the US die from cancer. The medicine fails many of our children and the psychosocial ramifications of childhood cancer unfortunately do not end when the treatment does.
We remember always as Mattie's cancer and death guide our work and commitment to ensuring that psychosocial care is provided for all children with cancer and their families.
We couldn't give him that as his last request but instead we got him all sorts of remote controlled boats that we placed in a kiddie pool on our deck and Captain Mattie directed their journey in the pool.
Mattie took to driving like a duck to water! He just understood the mechanics of it all!
I have always wanted to see an angel statue of hope inspired by Richard Evans book, The Christmas Box! We came across one today by happenstance. It was a Mattie sign to me as these statues are all across the country designed to help parents remember and honor their children who have died. A beautiful book, a beautiful statue and of course I remember my beautiful boy!
The bricks in front of this angel statue, have the names of local children who have died and left their families behind.
The Christmas Box, Angel of Hope
Dedicated in loving memory of all the precious children gone too soon.
Annual candlelight vigil December 6th at 7pm
hope to all parents who have endured the death of a child, it will be a
grave site for parents who don’t have one. It will be a symbol of hope, a place
to reflect, a place of healing and a special place for people to grieve.
Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House, was the summer home of one of
America’s first professional interior designers, Henry Davis Sleeper. Perched
on a rock ledge overlooking Gloucester Harbor, Beauport became Sleeper’s
retreat, backdrop for entertaining, professional showcase, and an inspiration
to all who visited. After Sleeper’s death, Beauport was purchased by Mr. and
Mrs. Charles McCann, who left most of Sleeper’s arrangements and collections
intact.
The house has frequently been written about in books and magazines,
with the first major article appearing in House Beautiful in 1916. It has been
featured in such diverse publications as Architectural Digest, Country Living,
and The Boston Globe, and has been showcased on televisions programs such as
America's Castles.
Beauport, with its labyrinth of small rooms, layers of
objects, and false doors, is a playhouse and a place that exists as a dream.
The small rooms change shape, lead one to another without a quickly understood
plan or even a simple hallway. Each room shows the interior designer at play, mixing, as a
dream mixes, parts of history. Walking through, one catches hints of a deeper
psychological message: the closet-sized writing nook, the small bedrooms tucked
under the eaves, the unexpected windows. Beauport is a place of concealment and
vistas.
The interior and exterior of the house contain Sleeper’s lifetime collection of curiosities, colored glass, folk art, china, and silhouettes in every nook and alcove. Each of the forty rooms is distinguished by a historical or literary figure, theme, color, shape, or object. No two rooms are the same, with each more visually dazzling than the last. The house is framed by newly restored Arts and Crafts-style terraces that include intimate garden rooms with dramatic views of the harbor.
What I loved about these rooms, was how each one seemed to draw you to the outside! There was always somewhere cozy you could sit and contemplate or conversate!
The bathroom associated with that bedroom.
The veranda, which was attached to the above bedroom. It was an amazing view of the Bay and you could see the sit of Boston in the distance!
The octagonal room
This room sticks out in my mind for one particular reason. Through the windows you can see the neighbor's house, who were a married couple. Sleeper was close to the neighbors and when the husband died, Sleeper planted lavender bushes outside this window and also placed lavender glass on the window sills. This way, when the neighbor looked toward Sleeper's house, she could always be reminded that Sleeper had not forgotten his friend! Lavender was the color of mourning and in essence remembrance.
The outside beauty of the house!
You can see why this was the perfect places for a summer retreat and Sleeper entertained big wigs like the Dupont family and countless others!
