I'll Always Be with You

By Robert D. Spahr

This is a heart warming story of the bond between a mother and her son. It speaks of the unconditional love he had for his mother as a little boy. It shows how a mothers love for her son helped her through a trying marriage and the tragic loss of both her parents. It shares with you the most secret thoughts of a son living each day so thankful for the values she has given him. This is a story of a mom keeping a promise she made to her little boy leaving her for the first time, and keeping that promise long after she passed away. Relive his final moments with his mom, their goodbye and the loving tribute he paid to her at her funeral.

Ill always be with you will make you laugh and make you cry. It will touch upon some of the very thoughts we all have when thinking of our parents, but feel uncomfortable to talk about. It will talk of how she sends signs even until today and how promises she made in her final days have come true long after she has passed away.

Finally, when you have finished the book, read how her son deals with the depression that follows a tragic loss without medication.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 24, 2008
• ISBN: 9781465321213

Robert D. Spahr

“Bob or Bobby” as he likes to be called graduated from St. John’s University with a BA Degree majoring in Speech and Communication. He has written several poems and testimonials.

Book preview

I’ll Always Be With You

A mom makes a promise to her little boy…

and keeps it long after she is gone

Robert D.

Spahr

Copyright © 2008 by Robert D. Spahr.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form

or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by

any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the

copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

53691

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Reflection

Chapter 1

The Funeral

The priest approached the pulpit. He was a young, dark skinned man, who spoke with a heavy accent. He spoke very softly, but, on this day, it did not matter how clear he spoke or how loud his voice projected. On this day I wasn’t interested in what people were saying. I was at the funeral for my mom.

My wife, Toni, was sitting next to me. She adored mom and mom loved her like the daughter she was never able to conceive. I was very concerned for my wife. It was when she lost her father that depression set in. It was at this time, that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. I could not afford for her to have a relapse. Knowing mom, near the end, she was praying for my wife, instead of herself.

My son, Robert, was sitting next to my wife in the pew. He was going to be twenty-one in November. He had a full four-year scholarship, something, which made mom very proud and extremely happy. My other children often told Robert, that he was nana’s favorite. They felt Robert reminded nana of me, when I was young and even more as Robert grew older. I agreed that Robert resembled me, not because we had the same name, but we did look very similar in earlier family pictures of the two of us. The mere notion, that mom favored Robert was not true at all. She felt my other children were older, and they had more of her special time than Robert. She gave Robert her full attention, when she saw him.

My daughter, Toni Marie, at twenty-six years of age, and her fiancé, Angelo, were also in the pew behind me. Toni Marie and Angelo were engaged and their wedding was planned for the following spring. Nana had already told me, that she had her wedding gift for Toni Marie and Angelo. Toni Marie was just so appreciative for whatever nana did for her. She gave her nana a great deal of time towards the end. Knowing mom, she had planned to give Toni Marie something very special. Nana loved Angelo. She told me several times, that she felt he was a good person, from a very beautiful family.

Michael, my oldest son, about to be twenty-eight years old, was there with his wife, Stephanie, and their four month old son, Michael James. Needless to say, the baby was very special to mom. He was her first great grandchild. She had hoped she would have more time to see him grow. In talking with her, she always said to me, Rob, imagine if he grows to be as cute as Michael was as a baby, and with that personality Michael had? Michael, as a baby, won over everyone with his great personality. I am sure, that she wanted to give the baby, Michael James, the same time she gave my children. She always took them shopping for arts and crafts. Then, back at her house, she would spend hours with them, showing them how to make things for my wife and myself. My children loved going with nana. It wasn’t for the gifts she bought. They always told her not to spend her money. Rather, it was how unique the gifts seemed to them.

Deborah, my oldest, from my first marriage, was also there at the church. Nana also had a special place for Debbie, as we called her. Being her first grandchild, and being as talented in singing and dancing on Broadway, was something, which made nana very proud. There was something special about each of her grandchildren, and she let each one know that in her own special way.

The beautiful thing about mom, and something I was blessed to learn from her and able to pass on to my children, was the gift of being thankful. Mom was always very thankful to God for everything she had been given in life. She raised me from a little boy to have that same quality. She was proud to see that my children also grew to have this same quality. She often told me, that my wife and I did a great job with our children. I would tell her, Mom, Toni and I were raised the same way with great parents. How could we miss?

My mother-in-law was also in the church this day. She loved mom, and so did my father-in-law, when he was alive. My mother-in-law continually prayed for my mother, and at the end, she gave her communion, as she was a minister with the church. Mom always had my wife’s parents over her house with all seven of her children, their children and their spouses. She truly enjoyed them all. When she passed, they were in the church. They all took it very bad. Everyone loved Dolores, as they called mom.

As I looked around the church, many of the pews were full. My children were amazed at all the people, outside of the family, that came to see their nana and pay their respect. As the Mass was being said, I felt strange, I kept thinking of mom at an early age, and when I was a little boy. I could not focus in on a particular time or place. I felt she was around me, but not in the casket. It was like she was near the altar, but I could not focus exactly where.

We were all seated as the priest was about to give his sermon. Today, he started, "we honor a great woman, a beautiful person, and a loving and dedicated mother to her son Robert, her husband, Henry, her grandchildren, and now, her great grandchild, Michael. I met Dolores and, in those few times, I saw something special and felt something so real about her. Today, I, too, feel the pain. We talked a bit about her condition, which she knew was terminal, but she felt comfort in talking about her family. Seeing the glow in her eyes and the smile on her face, I let her go on and on, about each and every one of them. In a short time, I feel I knew quite a bit about the entire family. She fought