My heart is broken. My lovely Mother-in-Law died last week. She was special to so many but extra special to me.
When I joined the family 13 years ago, she accepted me, accepted my children. She treated me like family from day 1. And years later when I had my own grandchild, she treated him like her own great-grandchild. She never forgot him for Christmas or his birthday. Even though she had many, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren of her own, she accepted us just like we belonged to her. Because we did.
All of my own family is gone now. She became my mom. She made sure she made special food for me at family gatherings (due to my food allergies). It was extra special to me because I got a whole dessert to myself! She always remembered. I never felt like an 'in law' but felt like I belonged to the family.
We're saying goodbye for now in the next few days. It's hard because we thought she would be around for many more years. This was sudden and truly unexpected. But I know the entire family will still feel her presence for a long, long time.
Love you Mom!