Goodbye, Grandma

My mother-in-law flew home to the west coast today. Sigh.

For many, I know, this would be a welcome relief. Not for me. Not at all. During the last three autumns, she and my father-in-law came to stay with us for 2-3 months at a time. This year we had her for only two weeks, and my father-in-law didn't come at all. Could it be that Europe had more appeal than Ohio? Huh?

She is an amazing person, gentle and elegant, yet fiercely loyal to her family and her convictions. We, her daughters-in-law, all absolutely adore her. She shows just the right balance of being caring and involved but not invasive or overbearing in any way, completely respectful of our roles as wives to her sons and mothers to her grandchildren. Best of all, she loves our kids. Passionately.

Never minding her age or how tired she feels, she looks for ways to care for us. She cooks and bakes, letting everyone have a cherished turn to help. She cuts out pumpkins from paper and praises drawings of multi-colored horses. She reads picture books to little ears and laughs at the musings shared by older imaginations. She listens with interest to every single thing her son has to say. And she walks late at night with me when she should probably be in bed.

She makes the time to be present to each one of us in the ways we most need it. And when she must return to her own home, she leaves behind a huge hole. It's a hole that reminds us we've been loved.

We couldn't be more grateful.