Saturday, October 03, 2009

Date with a Woman…

It is not too late to wish all friends and families selamat hari raya Aidil Fitri 1430H. May this raya is a blessed one with less trouble, our sins forgiven by those whom we have sinned and may all of us be renewed after a month of intensive training in the holy month of Ramadan.

Below is an chain email which I have received and wish to share it with all. Some chain emails are beneficial and those are the type that I would like to share. Sometimes, we are too busy and saturated with our own dailiy dealings that we forget to pause, think and reflect on our doings. We may hurt people with what we do and say and brag, which we did not realised it at all. To those whom I have done so, not on purpose, please forgive me. May Allah forgive me too.

Beforehand, I wish to thank the anonymous writer for writing and then begin a chain email. Credit must be given to you over this motivating piece.

Without further delay...

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 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 be 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.. 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 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 time 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 God and your family. Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till 'some other time.'

After reading this account, I remembered a person whom I have worked with mentioning in Malay, "Those youngsters with parents are so lucky to have the opportunity to kiss their parent's hands for forgiveness for we will miss and long for it when they are no more in this temporary world". She was in her 40s at that time.

So there, touched?

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