Mothers
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 3 children 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, are you well?" She asked. My mother is the type of woman who suspects
that a late night call or 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 meeting."
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 throug h the entries, I lifted my
eyes and saw Mum 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 where 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 6 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
3-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 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 neighbour's kitchen
window.
Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother . . . Somebody never helped
a 4th grader with his math.
Somebody said you can't love the 5th child as much as you love the first. Somebody
doesn't have 5 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 labour and delivery. Somebody
never watched her "baby" get on the bus for the 1st day of kindergarten, or on a plane
headed for their first holiday without you.
Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind
her back . . Somebody never organized 7 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. We should also pass it on to anyone
who has ever loved and/or lost a mother.
