A Great Loss

DH and my SIL (sister in law) lost their mother on Monday. My FIL (father in law) lost his wife. She was also a sister, a daughter, a grandmother, an aunt, a colleague and a friend. At only 63 years old, my mother in law (MIL) passed away Monday afternoon, BC time after unexpectedly suffering a stroke on Saturday. Although she had been unwell for several years, her death was sudden and has come as a very great shock.

We are currently in BC with DH’s family. I am unsure when we will get back to NS but it will have to be over the next week or so. For now, we are immersed in the emotions and paperwork that come at such a time.

My MIL was a wonderful woman. She was kind, generous and beautiful, mind, soul and body. She had that wonderful trait of being able to look on the bright side of things. She is the parent the man I married most resembled.

She was famous for her fastidiousness – a trait honestly come by as she was a nurse – and had a bit of a reputation as being a ‘wiper’ of everything! I am happy to say that my MIL and I had a lot in common. We both like to shop and we both like to touch things in shops (very tactile are we!) which has occasionally gotten us into trouble. She had recently re-taken up an interest in knitting and has gone to see the Yarn Harlot speak. I was the lucky recipient of signed Yarn Harlot books from that event.

My MIL was present for Iain’s birth.

She organised the household to host a baby shower for us minutes before she and my FIL flew back to BC. She made the welcome to the family speech for me at our wedding. She was 50% part of the parental package that created the man that I love so much and for that, I will always be grateful.

She will be greatly, greatly missed.