Someone Doesn't Know

Comments and Graphics - Flowers Layouts - Photobucket

Today I am totally straying away from the usual post but after receiving this email from my sister I felt the need to share it. It brought a tear to my eye and a smile to my face all at the same time. You may have already read it, you may have already passed it on, but if not, then enjoy and share it with others.

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.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Take time TODAY to tell someone you LOVE THEM! Even though Valentine's Day is just around the corner, never wait to share you love with those you LOVE.