I don't know about you, but I have a lot of things that I "wish" I could do for those I love and care about, and have convinced myself that "one day" I will do them, and therefore I don't need to worry about them RIGHT now.
But what can and often ends up happening is...we either never get around to doing those things and really showing how much we care, or we do too little, too late. Other things take priority in our lives until one day we realize we've missed out on the things that really matter--our family, those around us, or a cause that we admire that we could've been a part of.
The other day I came across this story and it brought this point home to me more than ever. It talks about a man and his mother, but it could be related to anyone--even our children. Let's be sure to make the time for the things and people that really matter, lest one day we find out they are gone, and we'll never have that chance again.
Here's the story
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. “Is there something wrong? Are you ill?” 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 a nice idea 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, I drove over to her house to pick her up. As I hadn’t spent nearly as much time with her recently as I would’ve liked or as I should’ve, I felt 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 doorway with her best coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary. Her smile beamed 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 nice and cozy little restaurant which we both enjoyed. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat down, I had to read the menu for the both of us. Her well used eyes could only read large print now. Half way through the entries, I lifted my eyes and noticed my dear mother sitting there staring at me, a nostalgic smile playing on her face. “It was I who used to have to read the menu to you 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 engaged in an interesting and long-overdue conversation, 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, and had already begun looking forward to our next dinner out together.
“How was your dinner date?” asked my wife when I got home. “Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined,” I answered, “I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed her, and I want to do it regularly.”
But that was not meant to be, as 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, “I LOVE YOU” and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve, now—not tomorrow or once we’ve cleared our “important” schedules to squeeze them in. Nothing in life is more important than your family and loved ones. Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till “some other time.”—Tomorrow may literally be “too late.”
Author Unknown
But what can and often ends up happening is...we either never get around to doing those things and really showing how much we care, or we do too little, too late. Other things take priority in our lives until one day we realize we've missed out on the things that really matter--our family, those around us, or a cause that we admire that we could've been a part of.
The other day I came across this story and it brought this point home to me more than ever. It talks about a man and his mother, but it could be related to anyone--even our children. Let's be sure to make the time for the things and people that really matter, lest one day we find out they are gone, and we'll never have that chance again.
Here's the story
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. “Is there something wrong? Are you ill?” 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 a nice idea 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, I drove over to her house to pick her up. As I hadn’t spent nearly as much time with her recently as I would’ve liked or as I should’ve, I felt 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 doorway with her best coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary. Her smile beamed 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 nice and cozy little restaurant which we both enjoyed. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat down, I had to read the menu for the both of us. Her well used eyes could only read large print now. Half way through the entries, I lifted my eyes and noticed my dear mother sitting there staring at me, a nostalgic smile playing on her face. “It was I who used to have to read the menu to you 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 engaged in an interesting and long-overdue conversation, 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, and had already begun looking forward to our next dinner out together.
“How was your dinner date?” asked my wife when I got home. “Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined,” I answered, “I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed her, and I want to do it regularly.”
But that was not meant to be, as 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, “I LOVE YOU” and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve, now—not tomorrow or once we’ve cleared our “important” schedules to squeeze them in. Nothing in life is more important than your family and loved ones. Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till “some other time.”—Tomorrow may literally be “too late.”
Author Unknown
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