Connection

I find myself constantly being amazed by the love and connectivity in the world, in fact, the universe. I have written about the scavenger hunt that Matthew and I have been on over these past 2 years, 3 months and 18 days (but who’s counting besides Mommy) and all of the amazing ways that my sweet, handsome boy has shown that he is always here. But still, sometimes, it hits me so hard that I am thrown off balance.

In his too short, 10 years, Matthew had the gift of connecting amazing people. Because of his health and developmental exceptionalities, we were forced to join this community that I would never have been a part of otherwise. This community of special needs children, families, caregivers, therapists and health care providers. Within this community, I have met some truly inspiring people and have gained some of the most incredible, friends. Because of the shared experiences and circumstances, our family has been surrounded by people in our lives that lift us up with a fierce love, support and incredible connection. And when we need it the most, or are in a place where we have forgotten, Matthew always seems to know and take matters into his owns hands to remind us.

Most recently, the connection came through as a gift from a friend. Last week, this friend of our family, was on my mind. He is not someone that we see often or even in a while but certainly he is counted amongst our closest friends. While we were in the car headed out for the evening, I asked my husband if he had heard from Kevin and asked how he was doing. He had spoken with him recently and caught me up on how his summer was going. The next day, as I was heading out, there he was, walking up my driveway with a package in his hand. He let me know that he had been thinking of us and wanted to drop the gift off. He explained that he and his longtime girlfriend had the gift for about a year and a half and that he wanted to leave it with me on his way out of town. For anyone that is paying attention, I had thought and asked about him the night before and he happens to stop by the next day with a gift that he had been holding for us, for a year and a half. (Out of over 500 days, he chooses the 1 day after I asked about him to bring it over.)

The gift, itself, was incredibly thoughtful. He had known how important Eric Carle’s, the Very Hungry Caterpillar is to us, since it was one of Matthew’s very favorites. In fact, they had heard me read it out loud at the small family service that we had for Matthew. Somehow, they had come across two pictures (one is an original crayon drawing and one is a page from a book) that were signed by Eric Carle. The thoughtfulness of the gift alone, is enough to make it incredibly special but when he chose to give it, shows the connection and love that Matthew continues to spread.

I am not a religious person, though I am spiritual. I believe that we are love and light and once we are connected, we stay that way. I have been shown over and over that is is true. Some days, it is harder to remember than others but each day, I work to remind myself and I the days when that is too hard, Matthew reminds me himself. I am grateful for the connections that I have made and the amazing people that have become part of who I am. I am grateful everyday for Matthew and his amazing gift of bringing people together.