In Laws

 

My DH, his parents and his sisters circa 1968.  This was long before I knew this wonderful family!

Part of my wonderful family is this group of people that I am blessed to claim as my own.  From the first time my DH brought me home to meet his family, they have been warm and welcoming and generous to me.  These three little girls were a lot more grown up back then, but fixed us a nice dinner and have been coming up with fun ideas for celebrations and family gatherings ever since.  

Then there were the three or four months when we moved back home from the east coast where our family of seven (at the time DD4 had not been born) were lovingly welcomed into the family home while we searched for a place of our own.  My dear Mother In Law is one of the most welcoming, generous and gracious women I know.  She has always kept a wonderfully comfortable home where guests and gatherings for all ages.  Family dinners, movie nights, football games, and major holidays were almost always at Mom and Dad's house.  Grandchildren were always welcomed and greeted with a hug and a smile. My Mother In Law has always been there to help with the new babies, cooking and cleaning, and often with the packing and cleaning before many of our moves.  She has also been more than willing to come and help out with other cleaning and organizing and crafting projects.

Father In Law was always working.  When he wasn't running his business, he was working for his children and their families -- gratis.  Many are the home improvement projects that have been completed under his guidance, inspiration, and physical labor.  Bathrooms, Kitchens, Storage rooms and bookshelves galore are the products of his handiwork.   And the yearly July Pioneer Day celebration with games and treats and prizes (especially all of the quarters and nickels and dimes and dollar bills that made their way to children's pockets on those days) will never be forgotten by his posterity.  And of course, once we moved back to the west, we were able to buy a home just a few blocks away from, so it was easy for the children to walk over to visit, get a haircut, watch the current ball game on the big screen TV, or just to visit with their grandparents.

Even after my Father in Law passed away several years ago, my Mother In Law continued to invite the singles groups, the book clubs, and the knit and crochet groups to meet in her lovely home, even if she wasn't feeling well.   Mother in Law has now moved to an assisted living center, but of course family is always loved and welcomed by her, even when she is not feeling well.  It has been a hard year with the pandemic not allowing her to have visitors for months at a time, but she has now been vaccinated and family is again allowed to visit with this sweet lady.  We have missed visiting with her!