tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234426892491026441.post8575479099535976374..comments2014-02-02T02:22:30.561-08:00Comments on Juliana: Recommendations of APRM Self Assessment ReportJulianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17060988222134364342noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2234426892491026441.post-61103840741669583622007-12-13T12:59:00.000-08:002007-12-13T12:59:00.000-08:00After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to t...After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take<BR/>another woman out to dinner and a movie. She said, "I<BR/>love you, but I know this other woman loves you and<BR/>would love to spend some time with you."<BR/><BR/>The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was<BR/>my MOTHER, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the<BR/>demands of my work and my three children had made it<BR/>possible to visit her only occasionally.<BR/><BR/>That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner<BR/>and a movie.<BR/><BR/>"What's wrong, are you well," she asked?<BR/><BR/>My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a<BR/>late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of<BR/>bad news.<BR/><BR/>"I thought that it would be pleasant to spend some<BR/>time with you" I responded. "Just the two of us."<BR/><BR/>She thought about it for a moment, and then said, "I<BR/>would like that very much."<BR/><BR/>That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her<BR/>up I was a bit nervous.<BR/><BR/>When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too,<BR/>seemed to be nervous about our date.<BR/><BR/>She waited in the door with her coat on.<BR/><BR/>She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that<BR/>she had worn to celebrate her last wedding<BR/>anniversary.<BR/><BR/>She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an<BR/>angel's.<BR/><BR/><BR/>"I told my friends that I was going to go out with my<BR/>son, and they were impressed," she said, as she got<BR/>into the car." They can't wait to hear about our<BR/>meeting."<BR/><BR/>We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant,<BR/>was very nice and cozy.<BR/><BR/>My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady.<BR/><BR/>After we sat down, I had to read the menu.<BR/><BR/>Her eyes could only read large print.<BR/><BR/>Half way through the entries, I lifted my eyes and<BR/>saw Mom sitting there staring at me.<BR/><BR/>A nostalgic smile was on her lips.<BR/><BR/>"It was I who used to have to read the menu when you<BR/>were small," she said.<BR/><BR/>"Then it's time that you relax and let me return the<BR/>favor," I responded.<BR/><BR/>During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation<BR/>nothing extraordinary but catching up on recent<BR/>events of each other's life.<BR/><BR/>We talked so much that we missed the movie.<BR/><BR/>As we arrived at her house later, she said, "I'll go<BR/>out with you again, but only if you let me invite<BR/>you."<BR/><BR/>I agreed.<BR/><BR/>"How was your dinner date?" asked my wife when I got<BR/>home.<BR/><BR/>"Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined,"<BR/>I answered.<BR/><BR/>A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart<BR/>attack.<BR/><BR/>It happened so suddenly that I didn't have a chance<BR/>to do anything<BR/>for her.<BR/><BR/>Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy<BR/>of a restaurant receipt from the same place mother<BR/>and I had dined.<BR/><BR/>An attached note said: "I paid this bill in advance.<BR/>I wasn't sure that I could be there; but nevertheless,<BR/>I paid for two plates - one for you and the other for<BR/>your wife. You will never know what that night meant<BR/>for me. I love you, son."<BR/><BR/>At that moment, I understood the importance of saying<BR/>in time: "I LOVE YOU" and to give our loved ones the<BR/>time that they deserve.<BR/><BR/>Nothing in life is more important than your family.<BR/><BR/>Give them the time they deserve, because these things<BR/>cannot be put off till "some other time."<BR/><BR/>Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to<BR/>normal after you've had a baby .... somebody doesn't<BR/>know that once you're a mother,"normal" is history.<BR/><BR/>Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by<BR/>instinct .. somebody never took a three-year-old<BR/>shopping.<BR/><BR/>Somebody said being a mother is boring .. somebody<BR/>never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a<BR/>driver's permit.<BR/><BR/>Somebody said if you're a "good" mother, your child<BR/>will "turn out good"...somebody thinks a child comes<BR/>with directions and a guarantee.<BR/><BR/>Somebody said "good" mothers never raise their voices<BR/>....somebody never came out the back door just in<BR/>time to see her child hit a golf ball through the<BR/>neighbor's kitchen window.<BR/><BR/>Somebody said you don't need an education to be a<BR/>mother ..somebody never helped a fourth grader with<BR/>his math.<BR/><BR/>Somebody said you can't love the second child as much<BR/>as you love the first ... somebody doesn't have two<BR/>children.<BR/><BR/>Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to<BR/>her child-rearing questions in the books.... somebody<BR/>never had a child stuff beans up his nose or in his<BR/>ears.<BR/><BR/>Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is<BR/>labor and delivery somebody never watched her "baby"<BR/>get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten .. or<BR/>on a plane headed for military "boot camp."<BR/><BR/>Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes<BR/>closed and one hand tied behind her back ...somebody<BR/>never organized seven giggling Brownies to sell<BR/>cookies.<BR/><BR/>Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her<BR/>child gets married....somebody doesn't know that<BR/>marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a<BR/>mother's heartstrings.<BR/><BR/>Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last<BR/>child leaves home....somebody never had grandchildren.<BR/><BR/>Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you<BR/>don't need to tell her ... somebody isn't a mother.<BR/><BR/>Pass this along to all the "mothers" in your life, and<BR/>to everyone who ever had a mother.<BR/><BR/>This isn't just about being a mother, it's about<BR/>appreciating the people in your life while you have<BR/>them.... no matter who that person isJulianahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17060988222134364342noreply@blogger.com