……………….Almost everyone thinks their Mom is the greatest Mom in the world…..and for them they are…….For me, my Mom WAS the GREATEST!!!!……I was the youngest of four children……Unfortunately, her third child, a girl, was still born after carrying her full term…..She was devastated…..My parents waited another two years before I came along…..I was her baby until the end…..They named me Louis after my father’s brother, but my Mom really wanted to name me….JAMES….after my dad….To this day I never really liked the name Louis, and wished my mother could have named me James, but my father’s father insisted….so Louis it was….My Mom was a true beauty….She had flawless porcelain skin, and deep red hair…Her friends used to call her “carrot top”……A very good friend of hers, a movie producer, always tried to convince her to come to Hollywood for a screen test….but she had no interest…..She once told me about the loss of her little girl, and why she wanted a girl so much……..She said, “boys will leave their mothers, and go with their wives families, but girls always stay with their moms”……This was so meaningful to me, and struck me right in the heart, and I always tried to make my Mom my priority so she never felt abandoned……We were EXTREMELY close….We just enjoyed each other’s company, and talking about everything together….She would tell me, and show me pictures of herself and her girl friends when she was single….These stories fascinated and inspired me!…..My brothers and I had what seemed to be a huge age gap even thought John, the middle child was only 5 years older than me and Mauro 7 years……but it wasn’t only age that separated us……We were very different people……My brothers were close to each other, and did everything together always leaving me behind…They were true JOCKS, and were team captains on every sport team they joined…..I never played sports….I would rather stay home and draw and color in my myriad of coloring books…..I was the odd one………However, my Mom was always my CHAMPION for as long as I can remember…..She always nurtured my talent, and encouraged me, while my brothers and even my Dad didn’t really understand me…..My brothers used to say my Mom SPOILED me…..and I guess she did, but I always tried to spoil her, and make her happy and proud…we did so many things together until I moved out to live in the city….I know she suffered empty nest syndrome….She used to bribe me to come home telling me to bring my laundry, and she would send me home with lots of her homemade food….I did, and my brothers couldn’t believe I was bringing my Mom my laundry! She told them it was none of their business….and they had wives to take care of them!….It was my Mom who taught me how to drive….she had the patience my father didn’t have….I fondly remember, when I was a young child, us in the living room watching TV. She would sit, and I would lay down with my head on her lap, as she gently, lovingly stroked my hair until I fell asleep….it was magic!……Later as we all grew and went our separate ways, and I became more and more successful, my brothers, and my Dad came to understand and appreciate me……my Mom ALWAYS did UNCONDITIONALLY…….When my mother got sick at the age of 95, she was rushed to the hospital, and my brother called Jac and I and told us to get to the hospital right away. We had no idea what was going on. This was all very sudden!…..I had to drive from our home in Ct….to the Long Island Jewish Hospital almost 1 1/2 hours away!….We got there just in time as they were wheeling my Mom into the operating room….for an EXPLORATORY OPERATION….at the age of 95!!!…..She was terrified, and hadn’t been in a hospital since she gave birth to me!……She was so glad to see me, and told me how frightened she was…..I tried to calm her nerves, and told her it was all going to be OK, and we were all going to be there when she came out, and see her then. I think I did calm her down….she seemed much more relaxed as they took her away……..I was the last face she saw……She never recovered or came out of her induced coma….Later one of the nurses secretly told us the surgeon should have NEVER done an exploratory operation on someone that age….That nurse was never to be seen again. I wanted to sue, but my brothers didn’t so nothing ever came of this information we received!…….My Mom was the very first person who I loved…..with ALL of my being….that passed away…..I was devastated, and fell into a depression that even Jac couldn’t get me out of….This deep despair was something I couldn’t shake…..It was the first time I ever considered my own mortality…She passed two days before Christmas….Jac and I spent time with my dad that first week even though he lived far away. I tried to convince him to come home with us, but he said he had all of his friends there, and he wanted to stay. When we met his friends in the common room they told us not to worry….they would take of him….The three of us went to dinner. My dad looked at me and said….”Lou”… I replied, “what dad”….he calmly said ….”your Mom is calling me”……I said “dad come on….she needs a vacation…there’s plenty of time before you’re with her”…..He died a little over a week later….I guess she was calling him, and he was more than ready to go…….I knew what my Mom’s wishes were when she eventually would pass, because she discussed them with Jac and I…..She wanted to be cremated…..she said she didn’t want to be underground. I told my brother this, but he wouldn’t hear of it. My dad had a family plot and they would be buried together….Jac and I told him that those were Mom’s wishes, but to no avail, and he was the oldest, and had power of attorney…To this day I feel guilty about not forcing my brother to do as my Mom had asked…..She also said she didn’t want an open casket, and have people come up and say….”oh Edith looks terrible…or…Edith looks great”…….I made sure that did happen…..and this photo is the one I had on her closed casket…….I selected the clothes for my Mom’s last outfit….I knew what she would have liked….a white silk blouse with her favorite cameo at her neck, and her short black St John skirt….[she had great legs, even at 95!]….When I went to the funeral home and saw what they had done to my Mom I was horrified….They gave her this ridiculous makeup and hair style……I said no, no, no…..I want her to look natural as she always did, and with her simple hairstyle. I brought them pictures of how I wanted her to look. Since she wasn’t really sick for more than a week she showed no signs of sickness, and she looked like she was asleep…..BEAUTIFUL…….I made sure I took care of my beloved Mom to the end……..I keep this picture by my bedside, and say goodnight to her….every night……..HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY in HEAVEN MOM…….I’ll love you forever, and I will cherish the day we see each other again…..lots of hugs and kisses………….and please stroke my hair again……..your baby…..Lou
