"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 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 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 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 a chance to do anything for her. Sometime 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.”
May Allah SWT bless
our parent, Amin
krdt - Sheikh Khalid Yasin
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