Wife on vacation

A businessman told me he was going to spend a lot of money to surprise his wife with a trip to Europe. It was her dream to travel there, and he was going to make it come true. Now this gentleman was not really known for his fidelity, so I was quite surprised with his sweet gesture. But when he explained why he was doing it, my admiration for him immediately went down the drain.

He said, “You know Francis, I have four children. Over the years, my wife has done a great job of taking care of them, tutoring them and raising them to be fine people. Do you know how much money you would have to spend if you were to get a nanny, a tutor and a domestic helper just to do the things she did? Money spent for Europe? It’s cheap compared to the alternatives. And besides, while she is away, I can do some extra marital activities on the side.”

Guess how many business people think the same way.

What if the wife really went on vacation? Things can really get ugly.

A man came home from work one day and found total mayhem. The three children were outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud. Empty food boxes and wrappers were strewn across the yard. When he went inside the house, the mess was even worse. A lamp had been knocked over and the throw rug was wadded against the wall.

In the front room, cartoons were blaring on the TV. In the family room, clothing and toys were strewn all over. In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, cereal was scattered on the counter, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.

He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over more piles of clothes and toys, to look for his wife. He was becoming more and more worried that she was ill or that something serious had happened. He found her in the bedroom, still curled up in bed in her pajamas, reading a book. She looked up at him and smiled, and asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered, and asked, “What happened here today?”

She smiled and answered “You know how every day when you come home from work, you ask me what I do all day?”

“Yes” he said, baffled.

“Well,” she said “Today, I didn’t do it.”

I think the wives should be praised for the work they do. I can’t imagine having a home without my wife making it.

“Where’s home for you?” a stranger asked a fellow traveler on a plane.

“Wherever she is,” came the reply, as the man pointed to his wife.

This is so true, isn’t it?

We pay the nannies and the household help for their chores, but we hardly pay attention to the wife who makes the home. We really should. Somebody once said, “The bonds of matrimony are a good investment only when the interest is kept up.”

The wife is the closest neighbor we men will ever have, and when Jesus said love thy neighbor… Well, you know who He is referring to.

(Attend “Winning Disciplines for Success” on Feb. 24, 2012 at the SMX Convention Center. Learn best practices on business, creative, physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual disciplines from the industry’s best – Butch Jimenez, Dyan Castillejo, Jeric Soriano, Paul Soriano and Francis Kong. For further inquiries, contact Inspire Leadership Consultancy Inc. at 632-6872614 or 09178511115.)