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 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 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 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.
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 our family.
Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off until 'some other time.'
Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby... that 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....that somebody doesn't have two or more children.
Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and
delivery....that 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.....well that somebody 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....that somebody never had grandchildren.
Somebody said your Mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her... that 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.
"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle".

Descubriendo el Siglo 21

Discovering 21century

Fr Tomás Del Valle-Reyes

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

(212) 244 4778

www.descubriendoelsiglo21.com/

"Carrots - Eggs - or Coffee Beans?"

A daughter complained to her father about her life and how things were
so hard for her.
She did not know how she was going to make it and
wanted to give up. 
She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed
as one problem was solved a new one arose.
Her father, a chef, took her to the kitchen. He filled three pots with
water and placed each on a high fire.
Soon the pots came to a boil. 
In one he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and the last he
placed ground coffee beans.
He let them sit and boil, without saying a
word. The daughter sucked her teeth and impatiently waited, wondering
what he was doing. 
In about twenty minutes he turned off the burners.
He fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. 
He pulled the eggs out and placed them a bowl. 
Then he ladled the coffee out and placed it
in a bowl.
Turning to her he asked. 
"Darling, what do you see?" "Carrots, eggs,
and coffee," she replied.
He brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. 
She did and noted that they were soft. 
He then asked her to take an egg and break it. 
After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.
Finally, he asked her to sip the coffee. 
She smiled as she tasted it and smelled its rich aroma.  
She humbly asked.
"What does it mean Father?"
He explained that each of them had faced the same adversity, boiling
water, but each reacted differently.  
The carrot went in strong, hard,
and unrelenting. But after being subjected to the boiling water, it
softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer
shell had protected its liquid interior.
But after sitting through the
boiling water, its inside became hardened.  
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" he asked his daughter. 
"When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? 
Are you a carrot, an egg, or a
coffee bean? " How about you? Are you the carrot that seems hard, but with pain and adversity do you wilt and become soft and lose your strength? 
Are you the egg, which starts off with a malleable heart? 
Were you a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a divorce, or a layoff have you become hardened and stiff? 
Your shell looks the same, but are you
bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and heart? 
Or are you like the coffee bean?  
The bean changes the hot water, the thing that is bringing
the pain. When the water gets the hottest, it just tastes better. 
If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better
and make things better around you.
How do you handle adversity? Are
you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean? "

~Author Unknown~

Descubriendo el Siglo 21

Discovering 21century

Fr Tomás Del Valle-Reyes

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

(212) 244 4778

www.descubriendoelsiglo21.com/

A Letter to Mom

She jumped up as soon as she saw the surgeon come out of the operating room.
She said: "How is my little boy? Is he going to be all right? When can I see him?"
The surgeon said, "I'm sorry. 
We did all we could, but your boy didn't make it."
Sally said, "Why do little children get cancer? 
Doesn't God care any more?
Where were you, God, when my son needed you?"
The surgeon asked, "Would you like some time alone with your son? One of the nurses will be out in a few minutes, before he's transported to the university."
Sally asked the nurse to stay with her while she said good bye to son.
She ran her fingers lovingly through his thick red curly hair. "Would you like a lock of his hair ?" the nurse asked.
Sally nodded yes. The nurse cut a lock of the boy's hair, put it in a plastic bag and handed it to Sally.

The mother said, "It was Jimmy's idea to donate his body to the University for Study. He said it might help somebody else. 
"I said no at first, but Jimmy said, 'Mom, I won't be using it after I die. Maybe it will help some other little boy spend one more day with his Mom." She went on, "My Jimmy had a heart of gold. 
Always thinking of someone else. 
Always wanting to help others if he could."
Sally walked out of Children's Mercy Hospital for the last time, after spending most of the last six months there. 
She put the bag with Jimmy's belongings on the seat beside her in the car. 
The drive home was difficult. 
It was even harder to enter the empty house.
She carried Jimmy's belongings, and the plastic bag with the lock of his hair to her son's room.
She started placing the model cars and other personal things back in his room exactly where he had always kept them. 
She laid down across his bed and, hugging his pillow, cried herself to sleep.
It was around midnight when Sally awoke. 
Laying beside her on the bed was a folded letter. 
The letter said :
"Dear Mom, I know you're going to miss me; but don't think that I will ever forget you, or stop loving you, just 'cause I'm not around to say "I Love You". I will always love you, Mom, even more with each day. Someday we will see each other again. Until then, if you want to adopt a little boy so you won't be so lonely, that's okay with me.
He can have my room and old stuff to play with. But, if you decide to get a girl instead, she probably wouldn't like the same things us boys do. 
You'll have to buy her dolls and stuff girls like, you know. Don't be sad thinking about me. This really is a neat place. 
Grandma and Grandpa met me as soon as I got here and showed me around some, but it will take a long time to see everything. The angels are so cool. I love to watch them fly. And, you know what? Jesus doesn't look like any of his pictures. Yet, when I saw Him, I knew it was Him. 
Jesus himself took me to see GOD! And guess what, Mom? 
I got to sit on God's knee and talk to Him, like I was somebody important.
That's when I told Him that I wanted to write you a letter, to tell you good bye and everything. But I already knew that wasn't allowed. 
Well, you know what Mom? God handed me some paper and His own personal pen to write you this letter. I think Gabriel is the name of the angel who is going to drop this letter off to you.
God said for me to give you the answer to one of the questions you asked Him 'Where was H e when I needed him?' "God said He was in the same place with me, as when His son Jesus was on the cross. 
He was right there, as He always is with all His children. Oh, by the way, Mom, no one else can see what I've written except you. 
To everyone else this is just a blank piece of paper. Isn't that cool? I have to give God His pen back now He needs it to write some more names in the Book of Life. 
Tonight I get to sit at the table with Jesus for supper. 
I'm sure the food will be great.
Oh, I almost forgot to tell you.
I don't hurt anymore. 
The cancer is all gone. I'm glad because I couldn't stand that pain anymore and God couldn't stand to see me hurt so much, either. That's when He sent The Angel of Mercy to come get me. 
The Angel said I was a Special Delivery ! How about that ?
Signed with Love from God, Jesus  and Me.
 "When you're down to nothing, God is up to something."

Descubriendo el Siglo 21

Discovering 21century

Fr Tomás Del Valle-Reyes

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

(212) 244 4778

www.descubriendoelsiglo21.com/

A Cry from my cell!!

I tell you my friend, it’s like being dead.
 It feels like being a ghost, that breaths and feels, or maybe I am dead alive?
The days float or go by unnoticed, the sun, I am cut off from its warmth, light and all feeling. 
Sometimes I feel like I am in a coffin buried alive , I can hear myself screaming inside my head, but no one can hear me, nobody does. 
Yeah, it was not really alarming at first, but then, I noticed that my surroundings took on a different tone at certain times: the shadows of nightfall seemed more somber, my mornings were like any other time of the day. 
Time goes by, but I do not feel it, I am numb.

Descubriendo el Siglo 21

Discovering 21century

Fr Tomás Del Valle-Reyes

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

(212) 244 4778

www.descubriendoelsiglo21.com/

Dear Father in Heaven

Dear Father in Heaven, who is the God of all comfort, pour into my heart your peace and strength. The storms of life have over taken me. 
I am beaten down and utterly discouraged.
My soul faints within me. 
My sorrow is greater than I can bear. 
I am too weak for the burden laid upon me. 
I pray to you dear God, send me the comfort of your help.

Please dear God, bring peace to my soul. 
Comfort me as whom a parent comforts, and hold me in your arms of mercy.

Thank you my Lord.

Amen.

Descubriendo el Siglo 21

Discovering 21century

Fr Tomás Del Valle-Reyes

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

(212) 244 4778

www.descubriendoelsiglo21.com/

I want to Love my friends

Almighty God, whose love has sent his son into the world to be our light of perfect love, please grant me the best of your gifts, the power to win love.
Fill my heart with love for others, that it may draw love unto itself. 
Set me free from selfish cares, that I may have time and thoughts for them. 
Bless me, that I receive love by the loving service that I give.
Grant to me a kindly disposition, and the graces of both mind and body, that win love.
Let me always remember that self-seeking drives love away, and keep me from jealousy that destroys it.
Hear my prayer, my Lord.
Amen.

Descubriendo el Siglo 21

Discovering 21century

Fr Tomás Del Valle-Reyes

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

(212) 244 4778

www.descubriendoelsiglo21.com/

I love You!!!

One day a woman's husband died, and on that clear,
Cold morning, in the warmth of their bedroom,
The wife was struck with the pain of learning

That sometimes there isn't "anymore."
No more hugs,
No more special moments to celebrate together,
No more phone calls just to chat,
No more "just one minute."

Sometimes, what we care about the most
Gets all used up and goes away,
Never to return before we can say good-bye,
Say "I love you."

So while we have it,
it's best we love it,
Care for it,
Fix it when it's broken and
Heal it when it's sick.
This is true for marriage ...
And old cars,

And children with bad report cards,
And dogs with bad hips,
Family and aging parents and grandparents.
We keep them because they are worth it .....
Because we are worth it.

Some things we keep -- like a best friend who moved away or a sister-in-law after divorce.
There are just some things that make us happy,
No matter what.

Life is important.
We only have one.
We only have one mom, one dad,
One unique brother or sister or friend.

I received this from someone who thought I was a 'keeper'! Then I sent it to the people I think of in the same way.
Now it's your turn to send this to all those people who are "keepers" in your life, including the person who sent it,
If you feel that way.

Suppose one morning you never wake up.
Do all your friends know you love them?

I was thinking....I could die today, tomorrow or next week, and I wondered if I had any wounds needing to be healed, friendships that needed rekindling
Or three words needing to be said.

Let every one of your friends and family know you love them. Even if you think they don't love you back,
You would be amazed at what those three little words
And a smile can do.

And just in case GOD calls me home . . .

I LOVE YA !
:-)

Live today to the fullest
Because tomorrow is not promised.

Descubriendo el Siglo 21

Discovering 21century

Fr Tomás Del Valle-Reyes

P. O. BOX 1170

New York, NY 10018

(212) 244 4778

www.descubriendoelsiglo21.com/