Sian’s wonderful monthly meme now in it’s third year. Picture the Precious is the theme for this year and this month Sian suggested maybe something that reminds us of someone.
I have a small 4×6 wool mat that has lived on and around my desk for many years. It was given to me by a boy called Matthew, Oh! so many years ago.
Matthew was one of the children I minded before and after school.
He was eight years old.
I can’t for the life of me remember his surname. Perhaps by the time it comes to press ‘publish’ it will come back to me.
Matthew was born with Perthes’ disease and was in a Spica cast when he came to me. His plastered legs were joined by a cross piece just below his knees. His feet were free, I remember putting his shoes on and off.
We used to push him up and down to school in his wheelchair. He was met at school by a member of staff (oh! my goodness it was Mrs Blackwell! How on earth did I remember that?) And spent the day being moved about between classes but when he came back to me after school things took a different turn.
Matthew was like a little monkey; there was nothing he couldn’t do with the other children.
He was a slight boy, bounding with energy and life. He could flick his lower body to wherever he wanted it to be.
He used to run! Just like a toy soldier. Remember the soldiers in toy story? Their feet were on plates and they ran along in a kind of lopsided fashion. That’s how Matthew did it.
He could climb up a plank, side ways.
He could go down the slide. He threw his plaster cast legs over the handles at the top of the slide. And fly down to the bottom on his bum, with his legs in the air.
He was happy, a perfectly normal little boy except for these legs in blue plaster.
Matthew was supposed to rest. An eight-year-old boy and resting just don’t go together do they? He loved coming to our home where there were lots of other children to have fun with.
I have clear memories of him on the tyre swing that hung from the tree in the garden; somehow he had threaded his plaster legs through the tyre and was playing along with the rest of them. He joined in with them all the time, it seemed that there was nothing he couldn’t do.
There was something Matthew could do that none of the other children could do. It made them all squeal and brought me out to the garden from wherever I was.
Matthew could swing upside down from the branch of a tree by hooking the crosspiece of his plaster casts over a branch… I nearly died the first time I saw him do it.
“Matthew, get down! Your mother will kill me!” was a frequent cry of mine in those days…
He brought this little (4”x6”) rug back from a visit to his father in Saudi.
I would love to see him now.
It is raining here (again), a perfect afternoon for reading all the wonderful stories that are over at Sian’s blog today.
Oh I can imagine the cry… eight year olds and rest don’t go together in my mind either!
Matthew sounds a very special boy and I love your digital page about him. The mat looks the perfect place upon which to rest a cup of tea. What a precious gift.
I’m guessing Matthew longed for the school day to be over so that he could reach your home and his kind of ‘freedom’. What a beautiful story, I’ll bet he still thinks of you!
x
What an inspiring story, Miriam!
What a wonderful story! He sounds like an enterprising little boy and I can just imagine how worried you must have been at times with his antics!
What spirit he had – and I’m sure it caused you both joy and concern. Thanks for sharing the story with us.
How wonderful that you have this precious reminder of Matthew & the fun and adventure he brought with him! :>)
Oh, I’d love to know what he’s doing now. I bet he remembers his time with you with such pleasure..it sounds as if he was made to feel very welcome.
isn’t there something lovely about that precious rug being 4×6..photo sized? Something about that pleases me!
Thanks Miriam
Fantastic . . . your story, the mat and (above all) Matthew. Children are so wonderful, and you capture his spirit perfectly in this post. Thanks for sharing,
Rinda
This is a lovely story and Matthew sounds like a special and amazing boy x
Oh my I bet your heart was in your mouth! I wonder what he is up to these days? What a lot of love there is in that little mat. Thank you for sharing.
What a lovely story, and so beautifully written. I love the image of you shouting, “your mother will kill me”!
Does make you wonder what Matthew is up to these days! Wonderful story about a very precocious little boy.
Oh, this has touched my heart … He clearly loved to be with you and all of yours too. What freedom he had just to be himself, when he was at your home. I can;t help thinking that wherever he is now, he remembers you with great fondness …
What a fantastic story, Miriam. I wondered where he might be today as I read your story too. If you could remember his last name you might be able to look him up on Facebook!
A fabulous story of a boy full of mischief and not one to let plastered legs get in his way!