Mother-In-Law

When I was younger, I didn’t understand why my mother-in-law did not stress the importance of an education but was more interested in her kids getting a job.

One day, I said this out loud to my dad. He said that he hoped that I would never go through what Mary went through. He said that as a single mom, her only goal every day was to have enough money to feed five kids. Forget new clothes, toys or anything else, she worried late into the night about feeding them.

She has my deepest respect. She was so strong when the kids were growing up, they were just a bit afraid of her, which kept them on the straight and narrow

We have a great relationship. When William was young, I would phone her every Saturday and talk about his week. Since she lived 200 miles away, I wanted her to feel as if she was a part of his life.

I also feel that it is the job of the daughter-in-law to make the mother-in-law comfortable and welcomed into their lives.

There was a big upheaval in 1989, which created a division within his family. I backed away from her so another relationship could begin. It never did.

After many years of me phoning her, I began to nudge Michael to call her about every two weeks. It has worked well. They have a nice relationship and I still call her often.

She has not been to visit us since 1999 when William graduated from high school. It is time. I am preparing myself.

For Christmas, part of her present was an airline ticket. The date is set. She arrives on Monday, February 1^st. The cleaning has begun!

Ncxt: 29 Years Gone in a Flash