I needed this reminder today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It came by email from a woman who has been waiting way tooo long for her baby from China! Please pray for her with me!
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 invitat ion 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 Mother 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 can't love the second child as much as you love the first....somebody doesn't have two or more 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 alo ng 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 lives while you have them....no matter who that person is.
Watch your thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your Habits, they become character.
Watch your Character, for it becomes your Destiny
"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle".
'As you mature, you realize it's better to find someone who's got your back than someone who turns your head.'
'There comes a time in your life when you realize who matters, who never did, and who always will . Don't worry about people from your past, there's a reason they didn't make it to your future.'
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1 comment:
Lovely post and prayers for all the children waiting for their forever homes.
Similiar to your post,when my dad turned 80, 20years ago,I just couldnt buy him another shirt,tie,socks,p.j's or box of hankerchiffs.(those were the options dad's recieved as gifts of my generation)His drawers were overstuff with the yearly gifts by his age. So I wrote him a Birthday Thank You Letter as his gift. The hardest gift I ever had to "buy"! I put in all the great things he had done for me and my family(which were young at the time,) and thanked him for each one experience. I then ended with a thank you for being my dad and of course HAPPY 80th! He had 7 more years to enjoy and see his family grow before leaving this world. I was given a white envelop with my name on it from my mom. It was my long ago written letter with in his aging handwriting scribbled on the bottom- Les-always ********.THe last word can not be dechiphered since he died of brain cancer and it had made sense to him when he wrote it, but that doesn't matter to me-I got my thank you of a life time back from him. I am so glad I wrote and shared with him all the wonderful things which we mostly just think our parent must know!! Bene's Mom Les
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