Life Update: I had the Best Mother-in-Law of Them All

I didn’t want to title this like an obituary. Recently, my husband’s mother, my beloved MIL (who was one of my best friends), passed away suddenly. No real warning: we’d just seen her two or so weeks before we got the news. We were devastated to say the least. It’s that simple. We were shocked, we sobbed, we scrambled and asked “why?”— all the messy bits of grief that come when something this shocking occurs.

However, after crying it out, we thought and talked a lot about what she, Deirdre Elizabeth Martin, would’ve wanted for us (whom she called her “favorite people”)— and she would want us to remember the best, happiest and most impactful moments with her that made my husband who he is, and that made us all feel love and joy whenever she was around. So here’s what I have to say:

I had the best Mother-in-Law ever, and not many people can say that.

I never dreaded seeing her. I loved her. She was my shopping buddy; my confidant; my second mother; my best friend; my partner-in-crime when we subjected Andrew to musicals he didn’t want to see and laughed along all the way. She was so wise, with a wisdom well beyond her years that she shared with us all. She was hilarious. She was one heck of a cook and a baker. She was stylish, gorgeous, elegant, yet so incredibly humble and down to earth. She had the best music taste (90s alt, anyone?) and a deep appreciation for theatre, cinema, art and traveling and experiencing new cultures. She took her son to Bonnaroo, because she was awesome like that. She loved to hike, bike, and adventure— she loved life, and loved her son most of all. And I know she loved me, and for that, I will forever be grateful.

I could say so much more, but don’t mourn for us— celebrate her for us, and know that I am forever one of the luckiest women alive that I shared such a special bond with my beautiful, awesome, silly, smart, wonderful MIL— Deirdre Elizabeth Martin.

Xoxo, MM.