> BEING A MOTHER...
> After 17 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 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.
>
>
> 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.
