Remembering my mother-in-law

Yesterday marked one year since my mother-in-law went home to the Lord. P and I visited her niche at Saints Peter and Paul, where she now rests alongside her husband, and we prayed for her soul, committing her to Jesus with a prayer of thanksgiving. We also remembered her with a memorial mass. While praying for her, I was vastly encouraged by an image of her sitting in a garden with my father-in-law chatting and laughing together. It was comforting to know that they are reunited and at peace. Yes, I do believe that she is in eternal life now.

I can't say I had the privilege of knowing her, for by the time P and I met, she had advanced dementia. At the same time, I do know her through her children. I can see she was a woman who valued manners, was kind and generous, and who held family close to her heart. In fact, family meant everything to her, and I can see she sacrificed everything for her family in her own way, for each of her children carry these strong values into their lives now. 

P is a strong reflection of both his parents, and they live on very much in him; for who he is today, is due, in no small part, to their upbringing, guidance and influence. He is a man who loves much, because, his parents, individually, and collectively, are people who loved much. When my father-in-law passed on, she went into depression and was depressed for many years for she pined for him. By all accounts, he was an indulgent and loving spouse, besides being a caring and affectionate father. Perhaps she was not as adept as he was at parenthood, but she did her best, and that is all anyone can ask for.  

Thank you, Mummy, for bringing P up to be such a good and decent human being, a gentle and sweet man, principled yet inclusive, with a big heart for the poor. Continue to pray for us and guide us here on earth, until we meet in heaven.