My mother-in-law, Nancy, has been a part of my life for just
over 27 years (my husband and I have
been married for 26 but dated for a year and two months before we got married).
She is kind, smart, witty, and likes to share special moments or events with
her family.
I chose this particular mug to represent Nancy because she
has a way with flowers—a green thumb—and a knack for landscaping. The colors on
the mug are delicate, and I think Nancy is very delicate in some particular
ways: she is highly compassionate; she is authentically sensitive and
tender-hearted; she is graceful (particularly on the dance floor, but she also
carries herself gracefully in general—and the “clutz” in me has always found
beauty in that).
One of the first things I noted upon getting to know Nancy
is that she and I are very different (my husband, Byron, is actually a lot like
his mom, so he and I are very
different as well). To name a few divergences: Nancy likes to sew (which I’ve
never been good at or enjoyed), she likes dogs (I tolerate our cats and have never cared much for dogs), she likes to
cook and is a regular Rachael Ray in the kitchen (I go in spurts, but it’s not
one of my favorite things), she can dance (I was born with two left feet), and
she is an excellent bowler (if the object were to get the ball in the gutter, I
would be too!).
But, happily, we’ve also found our common ground. We both
like the beach, we both appreciate good food, we both like chocolate (though
Nancy moreso than me), we both like thrift store shopping, and we both love to
play Scrabble. Nancy usually beats me
in Scrabble (or its Facebook cousin, Lexulous), but I enjoy playing with her
and we have lots of laughs in the course of a game.
Whether in designing clothes, painting, or decorating cakes
(she even made our wedding cake!), Nancy is very artistic. She doesn’t sew now
as much as she used to, but when the kids were younger she used to make special
outfits for them. If I can get her to post the watercolor version she once did
of a Van Gogh painting and a colored pencil drawing she did of a heron on a
lake (the lake where she used to live, in fact), you will see what I mean about
her artistic ability. She’s notably talented and should be drawing and painting on a regular basis.
Nancy is kind and thoughtful—always finding special jewelry
that she thinks the girls might like, or things the kids are “into” at the
time. Her kindness is not limited to family members though—she has spent a
great deal of time crocheting hats for cancer patients and volunteering with
the Florence Food Share. In the past, she worked with special education
students through her local school district (Florence, Oregon). Nancy definitely
has a heart for helping those in need.
A big part of Nancy’s heart, though, is devoted to her
family. She is proud of her three sons and loves to brag about her
grandchildren. I was very happy to have Nancy around to help immediately following
the births of each of our children. It gave us a chance to visit and also gave
Grandma a chance to bond with each new grand-baby. Nancy looked for any and
every opportunity to hold and dote on those little angelic bundles. As they got
older, she enjoyed time with them in the pool, at the beach, or playing games.
One of my fondest memories of Nancy and the grandkids is
from when Kristiana was eight and Kalina four (I was pregnant with Josiah). We went to the Lane County Fair. Nancy was
patient as the girls wanted to stop and see just about everything there was to
see, ride the rides, and…the grand finale, ice skating. Since I was expecting,
I couldn’t go. Kristiana was a natural and took right off like she was born
with ice skates on. Nancy had to help Kalina, who was clearly not a natural on the ice and kept
practically pulling Grandma down with her. Another great memory is of a trip to
West Coast Game Park Safari in Bandon. I think Nancy enjoyed holding the baby
animals as much as the kids did! She is definitely a sweet-spirited person with
a weakness for the cute and cuddly. ☺
Nancy has been very supportive of our (my husband’s and my)
various job changes and pursuits over the years, always believing that we would
excel in whatever arena we devoted our efforts to. Certainly, there’ve been
some jobs in the mix that we either shouldn’t have taken or shouldn’t have
stuck with as long as we did. But Nancy’s unconditional support and desire for
the very best for us has been a
steadfast encouragement.
Along with a soft heart comes a keen wit, which seems to be
a family trait—Nancy’s parents can be credited with some hilarious one-liners
and memorable catch-phrases. Nancy is also quick-witted and able to see humor
in everyday events. One of her greatest delights is laughing when one of her sons (particularly Jonathan, who the
family calls “Jamie”) is telling a story; she can’t contain herself, and it’s a
true joy to behold.
It’s easy to see where our kids get a lot of their
compassion and humor—and their intelligence
has a great deal to do with Nancy too. A classic underachiever, Nancy is quite brainy. I admire her comprehension
of political happenings, her ability to articulate her thoughts well, and her
quick grasp of new concepts. I remember, in fact, the days when she knew hardly
anything about computers. You would never know it now. She’s one of the most tech-savvy grandmas I know!
Nancy enjoys giving gifts and being with family during the
holidays. In fact, to have the whole
family together in one place for a special celebration means a great deal to
her. She values each one of us and treasures our time together with her. If I
had to identify a love language for Nancy, I’d say it’s probably “quality time.”
Nancy doesn’t have to be doing an “activity;” she just likes having her loved
ones around.
I don’t know that I’ve ever told Nancy how much I appreciate
her devotion to her family and her patience with us all, and how blessed I am
to have been accepted into this
family. I truly do appreciate all that she is and does for all of us. Nancy is
a dear person with a lot of hidden depth, and I am proud to have her as a mom
in my life.
With much love,
Teresa
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