In Laws

Day 20 and I woke up thinking about my sweet mother and father in law.  There's not been any two people that were kinder to me than they were. I miss them so.

When I was fifteen, my mom and stepdad moved back to Tennessee, but I stayed where I was.  There were nights I'd get scared by myself, and my soon to be in laws never said a word when I'd call their son, my boyfriend, to come and get me.  They opened their home as well as their hearts to me.  They always treated me with kindness and love.

My father in law was so sweet and loving.  He absolutely loved children more than anyone I know, and he adored his grandchildren.  They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery, and as I would watch my little boy, put his arms behind his back, lean forward and follow his Papaw through the house looking like his little shadow, I knew this statement was true, because as much as Papaw loved my boys, they loved him as much.

Papaw would pick at them mercilessly.  Everytime they would walk by him sitting in his favorite recliner, he couldn't resist a pinch, or a joke, or just anything to pester.  Sometimes they would say, "Aw, Papaw, don't do that" and he would kind of giggle, pull them up on his lap, give them a hug and tell them he won't do it again, and before they could hardly get off his lap, he was at it again.  Papaw was sure there was no one like his grandchildren.

He would drive miles to watch them play sports, and I don't think he ever came without bringing them some of his homemade peanut butter fudge.

When we moved away so my husband could enter medical school, Papaw went out and bought the lumber and made my two boys bunk beds.  My boys loved those beds and thought there was nothing like them.

When Papaw got so ill that he had to go to the hospital that was pretty far away from home, I got the priviledge of being the first one to stay with him.  But no one knew that he would pass on before anyone else would be able to come.  I was with him on his last day here.  I sat in a chair beside his bed, crocheting a scarf for someone, and talking to him about the boys.  He wasn't able to talk at this time, but he would let me know when he was uncomfortable or he would just smile.  It was unexpected, and it was traumatizing when he passed, but I'm so glad I was there with him, I wouldn't have it any other way.  It was just one small thing I could do for him after all he had done for me. 

My mother in law treated me as a daughter.  When she would go shopping and buy her daughter something, she would buy me something.  She was so good to me.  She taught me how to cook, how to do laundry,  and how to "keep" house.  She helped me with my babies when I didn't have any idea what I was doing.

There are many memories of sitting round her kitchen table while she told us stories of her youth.  She loved to tell those stories and we loved to hear them.

She and I would laugh and giggle together at whatever caught our fancy.  One time there were some dogs in the neighborhood that kept coming in the yard, so we took it upon ourselves to get rid of the problem.  We were sitting in her living room and she said, "come on, Joy", so I followed her through the kitchen to the back porch where she had a huge bag of potatoes.  She grabbed some and I grabbed some and we would open the door long enough to pelt the dogs with the potatoes and then go back for more.  We laughed so hard that we could hardly throw the potatoes.  We got rid of the dogs and we made a memory for a lifetime.

My mother in law was not an emotional kind of woman (other than if you did something to one of hers, then the fire came out), she wasn't a woman who spouted off "I love you's" or other endearing words.  She just showed you how much she cared by her actions.

When my mother in law was in the hospital, I went to visit her before I was leaving to go to Tennessee.  We talked about old times and fun times.  Before I left, I leaned over to give her a hug, and with tears in my eyes I said, "You were always so good to me and I love you, Mary."  She looked into my eyes, and with as much emotion, she said, "Joy, you were always so good to me." 

She doesn't know it, but she made me so proud that day to be her daughter in law.  I didn't feel like I had done anything for her, but she made me feel like I had. I do miss her , I miss our talks, I miss her phone calls. 

They're in heaven now with my daughter and my two nieces.  Mamaw is telling them stories and Papaw is picking at them mercilessly, and someday we'll see them again.

I am so thankful that these two people were my children's grandparents, I'm so thankful that they were my in laws and I'm so thankful they shared their lives with me.

Deuteronomy 4:9  Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons: