While
at the park one day, a woman sat down next to a man on
a bench near a playground. “That’s my son over
there,” she said, pointing to a little boy in a red
sweater who was gliding down the slide.
“He’s a fine
looking boy,” the man said. “That’s my son on
the swing in the blue sweater.” Then, looking at his
watch, he called to his son. “What do you say we go,
Todd?”
Todd pleaded,
“Just five more minutes, Dad. Please? Just five more
minutes.” The man nodded and Todd continued to swing
to his heart’s content. Minutes passed and the
father stood and called again to his son. “Time to
go now?”
Again Todd
pleaded, “Five more minutes, Dad. Just five more
minutes.” The man smiled and said, “O.K.”
“My, you
certainly are a patient father,” the woman
responded.
The man smiled
and then said, “My older son Tommy was killed by a
drunk driver last year while he was riding his bike
near here. I never spent much time with Tommy and now
I ‘d give anything for just five more minutes with
him. I’ve vowed not to make the same mistake with
Todd. He thinks he has five more minutes to swing.
The truth is, I
get five more minutes to watch him play.”
