Take it from Tom– letthe special people in your life know that they matter
SOMETIMES you never know what’s truly important until you lose it.
That’s what I felt last week when I read Tom Jones comments about the death of his wife Linda.
Making his first public appearance since her death from cancer eight weeks ago, the singer was discussing his autobiography Over The Top And Back in front of an audience of 1800 people.
Tom admitted tearfully he was finding it hard to cope.
He said: “We grew up together. We came from the same town. Our sense of humour was the same. She always mattered. But now I realise she might have been the most important thing in my life. I feel this even more now.”
There speaks a man who over the years made no secret of the fact he was unfaithful.
He once boasted he’d slept with more than 200 women in a year.
How this must have hurt the quiet girl from the Welsh valleys who was loyal to him through the 59 years of their marriage.
But Linda Jones kept her own counsel. She never stopped loving him and, even on her deathbed, was encouraging him to carry on with his career.
“Don’t worry, everything will be all right” she told him. “Just go forward.”
Perhaps she knew her man better than he knew himself.
No wonder Tom is now realising what a special prize he had in her.
But so often in life this is the
case. The people who mean the most to us are taken for granted.
As we forge ahead in our career, the demands on our time mean we frequently short-change our partner, our children, our parents. We may feel guilty about it, but don’t see a way to change things.
Right now, politicians of every
party are whizzing around the country campaigning for Remain or Brexit, all convinced it is the most important issue of the day.
They may be right. But think of all the wives, husbands and families at home who would like to sit down over dinner and talk about their day. No chance.
During his glittering career Tom provided beautiful homes for Linda and financial security beyond anything she could imagine.
But how often she must have wished he was with her just sharing a laugh together?
Now, Tom is coming to terms with the loss of the woman who stood by him through it all.
“Our marriage was rock solid” he claims. “There was never a moment when I thought it wouldn’t last.” And he was right about that. But the time is gone when he can show his wife how much she meant to him.
It’s a lesson for all of us. Whether it’s work or hobbies, sport or friends which lay claim upon our time – let’s try not to forget what’s truly important.
The people with whom we share this space and time on earth.
Today, find a way to let them know they matter.