When You Least Expect it… We’ve all heard GrandMa say at one time or another… All good things come to those that wait… My personal take on this is… When you least expect it… Often times in life things happen. You know its going to, just not when… exactly. When you least expect it… The washing machine conks out… The love of your life has been serving you coffee for months… untimely, early death… The muffler on the family car falls off… When you least expect it… I guess that’s the point. I read an email last night that started me thinking. Oh, now that’s dangerous. Thinking. When you least expect it… The following is a copy of the email I read last night. I think it pretty well sums up what I want to say… Being A Mother (both men & women, sons & daughters – need to read this) BEING A MOTHER…. After 17 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 alone for 20 years, but the demands of my work and my two boys 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, aren’t 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 it would be pleasant to spend sometime 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. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last birthday on November 19 th. 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 that new white van. ‘ They can’t wait to hear about our date’. 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 upon 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.’
-author unknown
—@QBall45
