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After twenty-one years of marriage, I discovered a new way of keeping alive the spark of love.
A little while ago, I had started to go out with another woman. It was really my wife's idea. "I know that you love her,"
she said, taking me by surprise.
"But, I love YOU," I protested.
"I know, but you also love her."
The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my mother, who has been a widow for nineteen years, but the demands of
my work and 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 pass some time with you," I responded, "Just the two of us." She thought about it
for a moment 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 nervous. She was waiting in the doorway 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. They can't wait to hear about it."
We went to a restaurant that was very nice and cozy. I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large print. Half way
through, 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
- 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,
she said, "I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you."
"How was your dinner date?" asked my wife when I got home. "Very nice, much more than I could have imagined."
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 from the place where my mother and I had dined. An attached note said, "I paid
this bill in advance. I was almost sure that I couldn't be there but, never-the-less, I paid for two - one for you and the
other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you." At that moment I understood "love" and
the importance of giving our loved ones the time that they deserve.
This applies not only to immediate family, but to friends and those we are serving. A little thing, a moment or an hour or
two can mean so very much!
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