Today was going to be a great day.
It started as a regular 'ol day in the office. A few hours of collecting emails.
A few meetings and a few phone calls.
Then the day really started!
Today we had lunch at Benihana's.
Our friend and coworker, Patty, had a daughter, Melissa, who passed away 6 years ago from a brain tumor. Today was her birthday, she would have been 19.
Melissa's favorite resturants were Japanese Steakhouses so each year on her birthday and day of passing, Patty honors her by eating at a Japanese Steakhouse.
We were looking at some pictures of Melissa yesterday when we realized that today was her birthday. When we asked Patty about when she was going to go to the Japanese Steakhouse, she stated that her husband was in Princeton and she didn't know if they would make it this weekend.
I heard that and knew that we had to do something so within 15 minutes we had a lunch for Friday afternoon planned. The whole team :-)
Part of the tradition includes a balloon release.
Balloons - with notes attached - sent to Melissa in heaven.
As a mother, I can not tell you what it feels like to watch that.
At the moment that the balloons start to take off you can almost picture Melissa clapping her hands adn bouncing up and down waiting for them and her personal note from her mommy.
It broke my heart.
I am sure that not a moment goes by that Patty doesn't think about her daughter.
However, when you feel sad when she tells stories or talks about it, she is happy.
She celebrates the short 13 years she spent with her and cherishes every minute.
She is such a strong woman and I admire her for what she has been through.
As most of us freak out about the thought of our child tripping and skinning their knee, Patty had to help her daughter live out her life during those 18 months of treatment. Unimaginable.
It truly was an honor to celebrate with her today.
Happy Birthday Melissa!
Top row: Lola, Patty, Jessica
Bottom row: Lori, me, Loriann, Joanne
After our lunch I had an appt for a full body massage and facial.
It was a gift from the girls at work from Christmas. I scheduled the appt after our go live so I knew that I would be able to stay relaxed at least for the rest of the weekend.
Can you say "OMG!"?
That was amazing!!!!
I need to start doing this every Friday :-)
2 comments:
I love her traditions for her daughter! Very touching post :-)
Well I feel a little sad that I'm not in that picture with all of you lovely ladies, but I'm happy to see a beautiful team! I'm also happy to see that someone got a massage! The BEST!
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