As I am fixing to head
off on a 3-week trip with my wife no more appropriate “Friday’s Story for Today”
by Stephen could be shared than the following. Please note that I will not be
blogging again until Monday, September 9th.
Give time to
our family by STEPHEN
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 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.”
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