My Mother-in-Law

I have the best mother-in-law. She’s fascinating, interesting, unusual, and as nice as can be.

For those of you that know Hubby, imagine six more of him, all in the same room. Quite the picture, hm? I’ve always said his mother is a saint. If they had had the term back in the days she was raising these seven kids, they all would have been diagnosed with ADHD. Sometimes Hubby alone is more than I can handle. With seven—I would have owned stock in valium.

Several times I have heard the story of how Ma would wake up in the morning and pray for patience to deal with my hubby. Sometimes I wish I had heard the story before we got married.

Ma’s love of learning must have come from her mom. Her mom was an avid reader and writer, and her parents published a newspaper. Ma loves to read, and not New York Times bestsellers. She reads to learn.

I think she’s open to any idea to learn. She is currently a student at a university in her area, taking an art class. She’s done many kinds of paintings and sculpture. She has read magazines and books to learn techniques and improve her skills.

She has lived in New Mexico, Colorado, and Missouri. She’s kept the books for a construction business her husband owned, worked at a bank, as a realtor, and as an aide in a nursing home. Those are just the things I can think of, and she has all kinds of stories—mostly about the things she learned while living in different areas and working in the various professions.

I enjoy listening to her—she is so enthusiastic. She is the best grandma, and they adore her. She is interested in everyone and everything about them. Her favorite line is: “Tell me a story.”

I love her uniqueness and independence. She enjoys her solitude and life on her farm, although she just rents the land out now. She likes to take little trips, but it’s not unusual for her to leave for home a day or two earlier than anticipated. And you best tell her good-bye before you go to bed, because when she’s ready to go, she’s gone long before dawn.

I married into an extremely “hespis” family, but I think I got a pretty good deal, especially when it comes to my mother-in-law.

Flo