Saying I LOVE YOU

I don't know who wrote this butI am borrowing it, as it is so true and we should all
say I Love you to the people that are near and dear to us.

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 Mother 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. Sometime 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 can't love the second
child as much as you love the first .... somebody
doesn't have two or more 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." or just moving away.

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.