Yesterday was a big day!
The Bristow Clan came together to bring the workshop to life
Terri and I got the shed cleared out last week
So yesterday his sisters and cousins buzzed around making improvements, contributing projects, making the space full of love for Matt
Even Sheba had cousins to hang out with as Charlie and Stella came up to the Farmhouse to join into the fun
Not to be left out, Coco, the next door neighbor’s dog, made it clear she wanted to meet everyone too! So she came over for a spell
Barb and Ken provided supplies of wood to create new shelving where needed and coverage for a storage area
All the guys in the crew, Eric, Elliott, Rick, Steven, chipped in to help do so much to get the workshop where it needs to be
We relocated a chair that his folks used to have in thier home into the workshop so Matt had a place to rest
Up above his left shoulder is a framed poem that his Aunt Barbara Slattery wrote about him
The poem is all about how helpful Matt is to everyone
There were several moments when Matt and a cousin would be one-on-one in the house while all the loving chaos was happening: wood was being cut for shelves, other things were getting set up, fixed, sorted through
There were moments he simply slinked back to his bedroom and crawled in bed……trying to reset from the overwhelm
Its all good, its all ok, he is with family who love him, want to support him
Nora was with us too, keeping an eye on him, making sure he was eating, staying hydrated, not getting into to much trouble
We found a few things Matt has cherished, kept, all these years, like an abalone float, a microscope, some spindals
I don’t know the full history of these things….but I know when we moved he didn’t want to part ways with them, so I assume, I hope, they contain a memory of a person or a time that has meaningfulness to him
We put these things in his workshop so he could be with them, enjoy them in some way
We also hung pictures that had meaningfulness to him
Susan made a collection of “projects” that Matt could work on with his caregivers or friends, each labeled in baggies with guidance and instruction
Because Nora was there, and later Michelle was there, each of them was able to be introduced to this space, these projects
Matt, Terri and Rick are sporting their jerseys for Saturday’s fundraising ride here
It was a great time to hand out the jerseys so everyone could have them in advance
Eric had originally thought he would be out of town but then realized that he would be in town for Saturdays ride
So a quick call to our team contact…..now Eric is signed up to ride with us on Saturday!
With the addition of Eric and Corny and Terri’s friend Barbara and her husband, our peleton for Team Matt is now a total of 9!
I can’t thank Terri enough for making this happen, for leading the clear out effort last week and making the dump run, for the lunch she provided and rallying the Bristow clan
All this excitement of the cousins gathering, workshop establishment and jersey hand out was finished up with Poppi’s 6th birthday party later in the day
After we got home, it wasn’t long before Matt went to bed
I tucked him in, leaned onto the bed and just watched and listened, was close to him in that quiet moment
His breathing was more labored than normal, his eyes were closed, he was comfortable he said
He had had a busy day, filled with love
He was definitely a tired puppy
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