6th ANNIVERSARYMy loved son, today marks another year of your departure from this earthly life. It remains very difficult and painful not having you physically, but I know, because I feel it, you are always beside me, as my great angel and protector, which gives me great comfort. Also, many things have happened since your departure, which have filled my heart, I know has not gone through pure chance, but because you have sent them to me by other persons, of which I want to talk at this time.
On October 3, 2005, at your private memorial that was held in a church in Jacksonville, approached me one of your military friends to ask for my address, because he would like send to me some pictures where you was, that surely I will like to have. Some months later, for reasons irrelevant to comment here, I find myself in a situation where I did not have any of your belongings that were of great value for me, such as your photos that you had on file in your computer laptops, your graduation ring, badges and military medals, and so on.
Was after that when I started to think frequently in your friend that offered me your pictures, but I did not know his name. Finally, thanks to your intervention, your friend, who happened to be Michael Sullivan, sent to me one CD with over 300 pictures where you appear. Was not this amazing?
After receiving the CD with the pictures I wrote to Michael Sullivan to thank him and let him know why your gif was of great value to me. Even, in your first anniversary, we gathered at the base of Newport in Jacksonville, and Michael Sullivan brought me another gif. It was a wooden shelf with glass, which contains a plaque indicating your name with the dates and places where you served during your military career, and also some different badged and medals such as tapeworms that you wore it. This wooden shelf triangle-shaped, is place on the wall of the office room at my home, which I call "your room".
Wen I went to your apartment to clean it, I found in one of the kitchen cabinets a beer jar which had written on a boadr a psalm from the Bile, that was more as an ornament that for be used. I wanted to give it to Nate, one of your best friends. I knew he should be happy to have it knowing that it had been your. To my surprise, when I brought it to Nate, he was sorprised as well, and told me that the beer jar was a gif he gave to the groomsmen of his weeding, being you one of them. He had given to all them the jar some days before the wedding, which took place on October 15, 2005, few days after you death. Nate wanted I keep the jar because it was a gif from him to you. If I had given the jar to another of your friends, maybe that friend did not know the provenance of the jar and had been very happy that I had given it to him, but you wanted me to retain because it was a gif of value to you, and for that the jar is in the book case of "your room". Whas not this amazing?
One day, working in the Hotel, I delivered a dinner to a guest room, and the guest told me he was an air force pilot, and inevitably we talk about you. He asked me if I had your wings, the ones used by pilots in their uniforms and I said NO. The very kindly guest gave me the wings that he had put on his uniform and told me: "This are not the same used by your son, but I want you to keep". Again, I knew it was you who wanted me to have those wings. Was not this amazing?
About two years ago, I did a comment on this blog, about something that happened to me working in the Hotel, and few days before my birthday. I delivered a dinner to the guest room, and the guest put in my hand a tip of $ 20. The next day I delivered a dinner to the same guest and the guest put in my hand the tip. In that moment I thought it was another $ 20 and when I left the room, instead of put the bill in my pocket, I felt strange the texture of the bill in my hand to the point that I had to check the bill, but not to check the amount of the bill. I had to open the bill completely and the bill had something writting in the white border: "Happy birthday Mom". I was very surprise and excite, and inmediatelly you came to my mind. I knew it was you who wanted to congratulate me for my birthday before any other person, and send me the signal that you keep a close eye on me. Was not this amazing?
One of the few thing I have of your belongings is a leather cord with a bronze cross that you wear in your neck when you were a teenager and you went to the beach. Some years ago I put it in the rearview mirror of my car. One day I was driving and felt that something fell on my seat between my legs. I was surprised when I saw it was the leather cord with the cross. The strange thing is how it could get away from the rearview mirror, when the only way of being able to get out was that it had taken off the windshield rearview mirror or the two nodes that has the cord had broken or had broken the cord, and nothing of that happened. In the other hand, the rearview mirror is in the middle of the windshield and I still can not understand why the cord with the cross did not fall right on the floor of the car in the middle of the seats. In that moment I knew you wanted tell me something, but I remember that I told you out loud: "Rob, I did not understood your signal this time. Was not this amazing?
On the last month (August), other two situations hapened to me also at my job. One day a guest told me they had to go ahead of schedule to Jacksonville, where they live, because your husband's best friend had died and they had to assist to the funeral. It was inevitable to think of you at that time. The next day, another couple came from Jacksonville to the Hotel to relax, after the brother of him had died of cancer. It was also inevitable to think of you at that time. This lead me to think why those situations happened to me very close each other, and then I realized that the next day was 24th, the day you died, and so every month I put flowers for you, next to the picture frame with your photo in "your room". Those days I had been working out some issues that kept me very busy and really did not know on what date or day I was, and I was going to pass the time without realizing it. In conclusion, you wanted to get my attention so will not forget your flowers and indeed the next day in the morning the first thing I did was go out and buy your flowers. Was not this amazing?
My son, as you can see, I get all your signs and look forward to receiving many more.
Forever in my mind and heart,
Love, your Mom
Mildred
