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. 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. 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.
Share this with 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.
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