My Mom-In-Law Memories

Well, this week has ended in a most unusual way. On Thursday, February 11, 2010, my mom-in-law was finally freed from the pain and suffering of liver cancer. The finality of it all was saddening but then as the family gathered together, peace settled in because we all knew that she was in heaven with people who had gone before her. It is a comfort to my soul to know that she is happy and free from all the illness. I will greatly miss her because she was so more than a mom-in-law to me. She was a confidant, a mentor, a prayer warrior, a teacher, a listener, and a comforter. She understood exactly what I was saying when no one else did.
I remember one time, I had to go to the emergency room and I called to tell her where I was going. She promptly dropped everything and took me herself. She stayed right by me through the whole thing. When they admitted me, she was right there. That was how she was.
When she retired from the post office, she had her hips replaced. After that surgery, she called to say that she would be keeping my son while I went to work. She had decided that this was what she was suppose to do. As a result, my son was able to skip a whole year of school because of "Grandma's Pre-K Program". She played too many rounds of skip-bo and uno to count because the kids wanted her too. She probably had tons of things she wanted or needed to do but she dropped everything to be with the kids.
Every Sunday for several years, we would join at her house for Sunday lunch and games. We would catch up on the week and what all was going on.
She attended almost every basketball and baseball game that my kids had as well as drama and band performances. She was there for the Induction Ceremonies for NJHS, NHS, and MSAG for each of my kids. She was there for each and every one of my boys' baptisms.
Christmas was such an adventure. She always made sure that everyone had a stocking and that there was always something in the stockings when we got to her house. We rarely had Christmas on Christmas Day but oddly enough, the day we would celebrate Christmas totally and completely felt like Christmas Day.
She always made a big deal out of birthdays and a family celebration was always held. The birthday tablecloth would be brought out and the birthday person would be asked what they wanted to have for their birthday meal. Then she would fix it for them just as they asked. She always made a cake and had it there with the right number of candles. You could tell the card had been chosen with care because it was always from the heart and said just what you needed to hear at that moment.
She never complained or had anything negative to say and always kept a positive attitude about everything. She had such a calming demeanor about her that it calmed everyone around her.
I could keep going on but I will reserve some memories just for me. If you didn't know this lady then I sorry you missed out. If you did know her then you know just what a treasure heaven received this week.