After 21 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 had
been
a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had
made it impossible to visit her regularly, only occasionally.
That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.
“What’s wrong, are 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 that 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 with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was
wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding
anniversary.
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 the car.
“They can’t wait to hear about our dinner.”
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 entreis, 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 “good” mothers never raise their voices … somebody never
came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball
through
the neighbor’s kitchen window.
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.
Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing
questions in the books…. somebody never had a child stuff beans up his
nose or in his ears.
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 do her job with her eyes closed and one hand
tied
behind her back ….somebody never organized seven giggling Brownies to
sell
cookies.
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.
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.
Pass this along to all the “mothers” in your life, and to everyone who
ever
had a mother. This isn’t just about being a mother, it’s about
appreciating
the people in your life while you have them….no matter who that person
is.
Without Mistakes there is no forgiving. Without forgiving there is no love
PS:
Thanks Mum, I love u so much…
