>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 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
>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 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
>favour," 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
>our "date" 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 until "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
>neighbour'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 labour 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.