For all you mothers out there...

[aamandaa]

' BEING A MOTHER '

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."

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 "good" mothers never raise their voices ....somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball through the neighbor's kitchen window.

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 a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing questions in the books.... somebody never had a child stuff beans up his nose or in his ears.

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 do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back ..somebody never organized seven giggling Brownies to sell cookies.

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.

[sherbear]

Well I have had my cry for the day. It makes me proud to be a mom and to remember how important our loved ones are. Have a great day everyone.

[romylin]

What a truely wonderful story... it made me laugh, it made me cry... and it definetly made me think about how lucky I am not only to be a Mother, but to have the most incredible Mother !!!!!!

Cheers !

Romy

[ljames1985]

that was very wonderful

[dorinda]

that was so touching and made me feel so warm. cause i am a mother of 6 and a grandmother of 13 and a new one coming in dec. thank you

[drftwd1]

That was the most touching story I've read in along time.I felt the tears running down my face, yet in the next sentence, smiling.thank you for sharing this & I'm going to share it with my friends & family, Thanks Cheryl

[aamandaa]

wow congrats Dorinda!!!
for everyone else thank you so much I am so glad it could touch people this way and glad you all enjoyed it
Thanks for the lovely replies

[kclou]

Truly amazing!

[chantel]

What a great story and how true.

[Nameless]

aww thats really sweet, and so true

[awaite]

wow thats really sweet very good points

[Donna]

well I had a tear or two, and I'm sure when my mum gets this (who is back in the UK and i haven't seen for 2 years) will do as well

[zoey101]

Wow that was truely great. I had tears in my eyes reading that. On part in particular reminded me about my sons first day of school or actually his first bus ride. My sister at the time was still in high school & the high school was just down the road from the elementary school so she volunteered to take the bus with my son that first day. Looking back now I laugh because she was the oldest KID on the bus

[sandib]

thank you that was so nice

[daniellerae]

That was beautiful