Make it count!

[Charlie Brown]

This is something I saw on line and I understand it's been around for a while. It hit a particular spot in my heart - good advice!

Subject: 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.”

[ManSlut]

I loved this Charlie Brown!! ...When I lost my Dad a few years ago, God gave me and him the opportunity to say everything we needed to before he passed, the most important being "I love you and always knew you loved me"...We had 6 months to go over a lot of things, but if we had not said the main things there would have been regret and this makes the grieving process that much more difficult and prolonged...Nothing we do in life prepares us for how we should deal with death, but if the people you love, know it, then you've prepared as well as you can.

Thank you for this thread.

The Passionate ManSlut

[pyramider]

I had to delete my original thought. Good one to thinck about.

[TexasCowboy]

Charlie Brown,

You posting was priceless....I have lost both of my folks and I still sit down and cry when I think about this and all that they meant to me....My father died homeless for he was just to proud to ask for help, it did not matter what I offered him it was his pride inside. I would see him on the week-ends when stationed in Norfolk, Va, would make the drive to Roanoke, Va, just to be with him...

One day I was crying and a policeman came up to me outside the mall and asked me what was wrong, he said that he would see my Dad sometimes sleeping behind the trash containers and he would look out for him, he also said that he wished that he had his father so that he could talk with him.

Sitting in the Mall in Roanoke with my Dad did not make me feel bad at all, for I felt proud to be with him. There were many time that he was dirty and had not changed his clothes for a while, yet I would take him to the caferteria or get something to eat or just sit down beside him in the mall and listen to him talk. A lot of individuals would just look at me yet would not say anything.

My father passed away outside of a homeless shelter in Roanoke, Va, for he was just to pround to go inside. My Mom passed away almost a year later from Cancer, I still cry when I think of both of them, yet I know that in my heart that they are in a better place and God is taking care of both of them.

TexasCowboy

[Guest062124]

Beautiful story. Thank you for posting it.

[LucadeJure]

I gotta admit I'm having trouble seeing through these teary eyes. I just spent the Christmas Holidays with my mom. Just me and mom. Priceless moments.

Thank you so much for posting ... and reminding me how the time does pass too quickly.