Author unknown
After 17 years
of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner
and a movie. She said, 'I love you, but I know this other woman
loves you and would love to spend some time with you.'
The other woman
that my wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER, who has been alone
for 20 years, but the demands of my work and my two boys had made it
possible to visit her only occasionally.
That night I
called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.
'What's wrong,
aren't you well,' she asked?
My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call
or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.
'I thought it would be pleasant to spend some time with you,' I
responded. 'Just the two of us.'
She thought
about it for a moment, and then said, 'I would like that very much.'
That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit
nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too,
seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door. She had
curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to
celebrate her last birthday on November 19th.
She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel's. 'I told my
friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were
impressed,' she said, as she got into that new white van. 'They
can't wait to hear about our date'.
We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice
and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady. After
we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large
print.. Half way through the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom
sitting there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips. 'It
was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small,' she
said. 'Then it's time that you relax and let me return the favor,' I
responded.
During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation- -nothing
extraordinary but catching up on recent events of each other's life.
We talked so much that we missed the movie.
As we arrived at her house later, she said, 'I'll go out with you
again, but only if you let me invite you.' I agreed.
'How was your dinner date ?' asked my wife when I got home.
'Very nice. Much
more so than I could have imagined,' I answered.
A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It
happened so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to do anything for
her.
Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant
receipt from the same place mother and I had dined. An attached note
said: 'I paid this bill in advance. I wasn't sure that I could be
there; but nevertheless, I paid for two plates - one for you and the
other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for
me. I love you, son.'
At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: 'I
LOVE YOU' and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve.
Nothing in life is more important than your family. Give them the
time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till 'some
other time.'
-
Somebody
said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've
had a baby..... somebody
doesn't know that once you're a mother, 'normal' is history.
-
Somebody
said you learn how to be a mother by instinct ... somebody never
took a three-year-old shopping.
-
Somebody
said being a mother is boring.... somebody never rode in a car
driven by a teenager with a driver's permit.
-
Somebody
said if you're a'good' mother, your child will 'turn out
good'.... somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a
guarantee.
-
Somebody
said you don't need an education to be a mother.... somebody
never helped a fourth grader with his math.
-
Somebody
said you can't love the second child as much as you love the
first ... somebody doesn't have two children.
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Somebody
said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and
delivery.... somebody never watched her 'baby' get on the bus
for the first day of kindergarten ... or on a plane headed for
military 'boot camp.'
-
Somebody
said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets
married....somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or
daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings.
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Somebody
said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves home....
somebody never had grandchildren.
Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need
to tell her.... somebody isn't a mother.