RE:

2015-FEB-02-1824Hrs

A Love Letter To My fellow Mausicans: If my son Larry: Virgil Laurence Richard Romain, ever decides to die a second time, I plan to hire a secretary to handle the mail, and one to answer the phone. The phone has been ringing about thirty times a day since the news of his passing hit his Facebook page and mine.  My IPhone decided, no prompting from me, to just send everyone to message. I turned it down during the memorial service, and forgot to raise the volume again, but there were 18 or so calls to answer as a result .Friends sent greeting from China and Malawi as well as Singapore, Azerbaijan and other far places where my Fulbright Connections now live.

Rodney Foster, bless him, came to the memorial service, and spoke of the boys racing their little cars all over the campus.

Larry was loved by many and I found myself doing grief counselling for the number of children of his friends to whom he was Uncle Larry. One friend from the University of Delaware was lying on the floor howling and called me at almost midnight, but I talked her into a better frame of mind

I had to break the news to a number of people, though some beat me to it on his Facebook page, I felt a responsibility to make an official announcement.

Women friends came to sleepovers so that I would not be alone. They brought food or bought food, or had their friends cook. Just yesterday, a friend who could not attend the service on the 17th Jan. ended her weekend visit with me,from Florida; and cooked a pot of Pelau in his honor. Whenever she visited and he lived here, he would take out the three basic ingredients of a pelau, and say “hint ,hint”, and she would comply.

I loved my son with a passion that I could give to no other but a child that came from my innermost heart, and I miss him terribly, but I have another needy son, and I will move on .On Saturday, I attended the formal ordination of my friend who performed the Funeral Vigil exactly two weeks before, and received a blessing from Cardinal deNardo of the Diocese of Houston/Galveston. Ola Branche, the new ordinand, is a close personal friend, and in rejoicing with him and his wife, I found that I could still smile. The tears are nearby, but I can smile. The funeral home did two large portraits of him; one in naval uniform the day he graduated, and one in his mature years taken about five years ago.I received the folded flag privately. I would have broken down if it was presented at the high table after the service. I say goodnight to him every night. I have not turned off the light in one part of the house since he  left. I will do that after the 40Days Prayer service on Feb. 13th. Your supporting love has been the wind beneath my wings. Bless you all.

Linda E. Edwards(Romain 67-69)