PERSONAL JOURNAL ENTRY

This week my mother-in-law passed away. Hubs has been traveling back and forth between two states to take care of all the things one must handle after losing a loved one - final arrangements, legal, financial, etc.

And in the midst of this, Hubs is also trying to take care of his own health and medical issues.

I'm not really sure what this post is about, other than being a bit of a personal journal of my thoughts. So, if you're not really interested, that's fine. I'll be happy to catch you next week with more health and nutrition coaching information/tips/hacks/etc.

I honestly didn't know her VERY well. When Hubs and I met, she was living two states away, and then ended up moving a little closer to his extended family, which was still a four-and-a-half-hour drive. So while we saw each other occasionally, we didn't have the chance to spend a lot of time together.

But I did know this about her.

She was fierce. She raised three sons as a single mom. I've heard stories, both good and bad. Was she perfect? No. None of us are. But being married to one son and having met the other two, she obviously did SOMETHING right. They are good men.

She loved family above all else. Through good and the not so good, she loved her family passionately. Her sons, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren were the world to her. Even between all the biological and blended family members, she adored them all. That doesn't mean she didn't get pissed and have her moments of giving her family a butt-chewing when necessary, but the love was there and OBVIOUS.

She was stubborn and had a temper. Tiny little red-headed woman would make her grown sons duck their heads with, "Yes, ma'am/No, ma'am/Sorry, mom," with a look! Wish I could have taken lessons from her.

But sometimes that stubbornness and temper were to her detriment, too. Again, no one is perfect, and I'm sure in hindsight, maybe she wished there were some things with her stubbornness that could have been avoided.

So, I guess that is my take on my mother-in-law. She was loving, she was fierce, and she was stubborn (sometimes to a fault). I think her love and fierceness overrode the stubbornness. There was no doubt in any of her family's minds that she loved them. Or, there shouldn't be because she did. Even the ones who pissed her off, ESPECIALLY Hubs!

I think in the end, all I can hope is that one day, when it's my turn to go, my family and friends never doubt how much I loved them - even when they piss me off.

And maybe if I'm very lucky, my fierceness and stubbornness will be as legendary as hers.

In Loving Memory of TK, 1949-2025

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