Robyn and her two boys were here yesterday----We had a nice day

Happy Mother's Day to all my friends .

>

> BEING A MOTHER

>

> 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 m y 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

> extraordin ary 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. 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.'

>

> 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 the 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.'

> Somebody said a Mother can stop worrying after her child gets

> married....someb ody 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.

>

> Pass this along to all the 'Mothers' in your life and to everyone who

> ever had a mother.

>

> This isn't just about being a Mother; it's about appreciating the

people

> in your lives while you have them....no matter who that person is.

>

> Watch your thoughts, they become words.

> Watch your words, they become actions

> Watch your actions, they become habits.

> Watch your Habits, they become character.

> Watch your Character, for it becomes your Destiny

>

> 'Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind

> of battle'.

>

> 'As you mature, you realize it's better to find someone who's got your

> back than someone who turns your head.'

>

> 'There comes a time in your life when you realize who matters, who

never

> did, and who always will. Don't worry about people from your past,

> there's a reason they didn't make it to your future.'

> Romans 8v28

> And we know that all things work together for good to them that love

> God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.*

>