After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take anothe=
r woman out to dinner and a movie. She said, "I love you, but I know t=
his 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 bee=
n a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children ha=
d made it possible to visit her only occasionally. That night I called to i=
nvite her to go out for dinner and a movie.
"What’s wrong, are you w=
ell," she asked? (My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a l=
ate-night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.)
=
"I tho=
ught that it would be pleasant to spend some time with you," I respond=
ed, "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 as a bit nervous. When I arrived at her =
house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She wa=
ited 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,&q=
uot;
she said, as she got into the car.&n=
bsp; "They can’t wait to hear about our meeting."
We went to a re=
staurant 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 agreeabl=
e conversation, nothing extraordinary but catching up on recent events of e=
ach other’s life. We talked so much that we missed the movie.
As we arrive=
d 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?&q=
uot; asked my wife when I got home.
=
"Very nice, much more so than I co=
uld 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. Sometime later, I received an envelope with a copy=
of a restaurant receipt from the same place mother and I had dined. An att=
ached note said: "I paid this bill in advance. I wasn’t sure that I co=
uld 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 l=
ove you, son."
At that moment, I understood the importance of saying i=
n time: "I LOVE YOU" and to give our loved ones the time that the=
y deserve. Nothing in life is more important than your family. Give them th=
e time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till "some=
other time".
[Though this did not happen to me, it is a true story an=
d worthy of our consideration this Mother’s Day weekend]
~~
Dr Bob=
Griffin
bob@g=
rif.net www.grif.net
Continue steadfastly in prayer, =
being watchful in it with thanksgiving.