-- 作者: 德吉千瀚
-- 發表時間: 2008/12/27 00:33am
[這篇文章最後由德吉千瀚在 2008/12/27 00:36am 第 1 次編輯]
<b>The Dinner Date</b> <BR><BR> After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. <BR> She said, 'I love you, but I know this other woman loves you and would Love to spend some time with you.'<BR> The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my Mother, who has been a widow for 19 years, <BR> but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.<BR><BR>
That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie. <BR> 'What's wrong, are you well,' she asked? <BR> My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call <BR> or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.<BR> 'I thought that it would be pleasant to spend some time with you,' I responded 'just the two of us.' <BR> She thought about it for a moment, and then said, 'I would like that very much.'<BR><BR> That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous. <BR> When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. <BR> She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and <BR>was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary.<BR> She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel's. <BR> 'I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed,' she said, <BR> as she got into the car. 'They can't wait to hear about our meeting.'<BR><BR> We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. <BR> My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady. <BR> After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large print. <BR> Half-way through the entrees, I lifted my eyes and saw Mother sitting there staring at me. <BR> A nostalgic smile was on her lips.<BR> 'It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small,' she said. <BR> 'Then it's time that you relaxand let me return the favor,' I responded. <BR><BR> During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation nothing extraordinary <BR> but catching up on recent events of each other's life. <BR> We talked so much that we missed the movie. <BR> As we arrived at her house later, she said,'I'll go out with you again, <BR> but only if you let me invite you.' I agreed.<BR><BR> 'How was your dinner date?' asked my wife when I got home. <BR> 'Very nice, much more so than I could have imagined,' I answered.<BR><BR> A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. <BR> It happened so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to do anything for her. <BR> Sometime later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place Mother and I had dined.<BR><BR> An attached note said: 'I paid this bill in advance. I wasn't sure that I could be there; <BR> but, nevertheless, I paid for two plates - one for you and the other for your wife. <BR> You will never know what that night meant for me. 'I love you, son.' <BR> At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: 'I love YOU' <BR> and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. <BR><BR> Nothing in life is more important than your family. <BR> Give them the time they deserve,<BR> because these things cannot be put off till some 'other' time.<BR><BR><BR> Somebody said it takes about 6 weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby.<BR> ......somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother, 'normal' is history.<BR><BR>
Somebody said you can't love the second child as much as you love the first.<BR> ......somebody doesn't have 2 or more children.<BR><BR> Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery.<BR> ......somebody never watched her 'baby'get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten...<BR> or on a plane headed for military 'boot camp.'<BR><BR> Somebody said a Mother can stop worrying after her child gets married.<BR> ......somebody doesn't know that marriageadds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother's heatstrings.<BR><BR> Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves home.<BR> ......somebody never had grandchilden.<BR><BR> Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her.<BR> ......somebody isn't a mother.<BR><BR><BR> To all the great "mothers' in our lives and to everyone who ever had a mother.<BR> This isn't just about being a mother;<BR> it's about appreciating the people in your lives while you have them...no matter who that person is.<BR><BR><BR> Watch your thoughts, they become words.<BR> Watch your words, they become actions.<BR> Watch your actions, they become habits.<BR> Watch your habits, they become character.<BR> Watch your character, for it becomes...<BR> your destiny.<BR><BR><BR>
"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."<BR><BR><BR>
<b> "Love is giving someone the power to destroy you but trusting them not to."</b>
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