parting words before signing out sa forum..

After 21 years of marriage, I
discovered 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
one day,
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 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 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 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
nniversary. 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 to her.
Her eyes could only read large print.
Half way through
the entree, 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 for you to 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 others lives. 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 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
was almost sure that I couldn't 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 to me. I love you."

At that moment I understood the
importance of saying,
in time: "I LOVE YOU" and giving our
loved ones the
time that they deserve. Nothing in
life is more
important than God and your family and
friends.

Give them the time they deserve,
because these things
cannot be put off 'til "some other
time".

Someone once said "I've learned that,
regardless of
your relationship with your parents,
you'll miss them
when they're gone from your life.

I think this is true with your in-
laws, grandchildren,

sisters, brothers and your friends.
Anyone that means
something to you-you should spend time
with them and
let them know how much they mean to
you as often as
you can.

Please pass this along to your friends
and family.

Touch their hearts.