Remembering

The main purpose of this blog was to help me remember various thought that I knew would get lost in the day to day chaos that is my brain! Now as we contemplate the changes coming our way I want to remember somethings about having my in-laws live with us these past few months.
I want to remember the way my mother-in-law bent over backwards to give us our space. She made every effort to not intrude on our lives. I want to remember the humility she expressed without complaint every day. I know it was hard for her to go from running her own home, in her terms, to making it fit with our lives. I want to remember her selfless willingness to watch the kids, to talk to them no matter what she was doing at the time. I want to remember how good it was to hear her laugh and see her smile, how her eyes light up when she is doing something creative, how she treats her husband with the utmost respect. There are not words to express the lessons being lived out in front of me and my children in her life.
My father-in-law is such a hard working person. I see exactly where my husband learned his solid work ethic. His integrity in the workplace is a rare thing. I pray he is always valued for the great worth that he has. I want to remember the sense of humor that never sleeps-that my husband also inherited, that could not really be forgotten anyway.
None of this is to say that it has been easy. "Crowded" begins to describe our living conditions, on their part as well as ours. I felt such a sense of their intruding in my life, my house, my space. I have seen first hand that I place far too much value on "my," "me," & "mine." I have prayed that my bad attitude would be changed and that it would not make them feel uncomfortable. I have prayed that I would not wait until years go by to be grateful for this time with them.

I want to remember how this morning she hugged my eldest son, who is almost as tall as she is and with emotion said, "When I don't live with you anymore I'm sure gonna miss getting hugs and kisses everyday."