My "Other" mother
When I married my husband, I became a member of an entirely new family. The 6th spouse to marry ( I married the 5th child) into this 9-kid family.
Confusing?
*smiles*
My father-in-law is a tall, very handsome movie-star type...a full head of silvery hair. I adored him from the moment I set eyes on him, mostly for his quick smile and corn-ball jokes. He adores his wife...lives frugally, and enjoy's a good get-together....although shows a bit of a temper, when his 4 grown sons beat him at tennis. Until recently, he didn't look nor act his 70+ years.
My mother-in-law was an enigma to me when I first met her. She is a tiny but powerful health-nut. She rarely allows people to see her weaknesses, but short-changes herself of her beauty and talents. You'd never know her real age. Her best friends are her daughters. And there are no sons in the world so devoted as hers. She is frankly honest, an attribute I adore...and she does everything for everyone, without batting an eye. After endless hours of care of both her MIL and her own mother who both suffered dementia, she expressed fear of becoming a burden to any of her family when she got old.
This past visit, in which I initially dreaded (because of the amount of time, not because it was with his family), turned out to be the best visit we'd ever had. We laughed into the night, we talked, we cried. She shared personal stories with me... and I did, too. We went to her new house, and giggled like teenagers at all the cool new things she would have there.
While we were visiting, I noticed my MIL's hand would tremor more than normal... and she would try to cover it up. I mentioned it in passing to Achilles, but he reassured me it wasn't any worse than before...the same tremor that plagued her from her hormone therapy.
Sadly, we learned today that she hasParkinson's Disease.
I cannot even comprehend what she is feeling. Nor what she and my FIL must be going through right now.
She is the strong one. She's the reason everyone gets together all the time. She is THE ONLY ONE who writes and keeps us up to date on the family on a regular basis.
I know that it is a gradual disease, but there is no cure. And that makes me sad.
She is one of the greatest women I have ever known.
Confusing?
*smiles*
My father-in-law is a tall, very handsome movie-star type...a full head of silvery hair. I adored him from the moment I set eyes on him, mostly for his quick smile and corn-ball jokes. He adores his wife...lives frugally, and enjoy's a good get-together....although shows a bit of a temper, when his 4 grown sons beat him at tennis. Until recently, he didn't look nor act his 70+ years.
My mother-in-law was an enigma to me when I first met her. She is a tiny but powerful health-nut. She rarely allows people to see her weaknesses, but short-changes herself of her beauty and talents. You'd never know her real age. Her best friends are her daughters. And there are no sons in the world so devoted as hers. She is frankly honest, an attribute I adore...and she does everything for everyone, without batting an eye. After endless hours of care of both her MIL and her own mother who both suffered dementia, she expressed fear of becoming a burden to any of her family when she got old.
This past visit, in which I initially dreaded (because of the amount of time, not because it was with his family), turned out to be the best visit we'd ever had. We laughed into the night, we talked, we cried. She shared personal stories with me... and I did, too. We went to her new house, and giggled like teenagers at all the cool new things she would have there.
While we were visiting, I noticed my MIL's hand would tremor more than normal... and she would try to cover it up. I mentioned it in passing to Achilles, but he reassured me it wasn't any worse than before...the same tremor that plagued her from her hormone therapy.
Sadly, we learned today that she hasParkinson's Disease.
I cannot even comprehend what she is feeling. Nor what she and my FIL must be going through right now.
She is the strong one. She's the reason everyone gets together all the time. She is THE ONLY ONE who writes and keeps us up to date on the family on a regular basis.
I know that it is a gradual disease, but there is no cure. And that makes me sad.
She is one of the greatest women I have ever known.
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