Post by mdbohuntr on Feb 11, 2004 17:22:08 GMT -5
A somewhat long read but worthy of the space.
After 29 years of marriage, I discovered a new way of keeping alive the
spark of love.
A little while ago I had to go out with another woman. It was really my
wife's idea.
"I know that you love her," she said one day, taking me by surprise.
"But I love YOU," I protested.
"I know, but you also love her."
! & nbsp;
The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my mother, who has
been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three
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 a surprise invitation is a sign of
bad news.
"I thought that it would be nice to pass some time with you," I
responded. "Just the two of us." &nbs! p; ;
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
through the entrees, 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 others 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 was almost sure that I couldn't 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."
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 God and your family. Give them the
time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till "some other
time."
&nbs! p; ;
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 direc! tions an d 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 fifth child as much as you love the
first...somebody doesn't have five children.
! & nbsp;
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. ! & nbsp;
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 anyone that has
a ! ;
mother
After 29 years of marriage, I discovered a new way of keeping alive the
spark of love.
A little while ago I had to go out with another woman. It was really my
wife's idea.
"I know that you love her," she said one day, taking me by surprise.
"But I love YOU," I protested.
"I know, but you also love her."
! & nbsp;
The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my mother, who has
been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three
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 a surprise invitation is a sign of
bad news.
"I thought that it would be nice to pass some time with you," I
responded. "Just the two of us." &nbs! p; ;
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
through the entrees, 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 others 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 was almost sure that I couldn't 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."
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 God and your family. Give them the
time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till "some other
time."
&nbs! p; ;
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 direc! tions an d 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 fifth child as much as you love the
first...somebody doesn't have five children.
! & nbsp;
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. ! & nbsp;
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 anyone that has
a ! ;
mother
awwwwwwwwwwww
