Elizabeth ~ A Special Gem

Today, my mother-in-law would have been ninety-eight.   We miss you, Elizabeth!

She was my mother-in-law, but before that, a dear friend.
We had much in common; like me, she was an RN.
One of my favorite memories was the year she became my traveling European companion.
That prior closeness we shared made it very easy to choose her son as my husband.

She was a devoted wife, and cared for her husband as he suffered with his emphysema plight.
Although she loved her man, nobody messed with her kids because they were the true joy of her life.
To her three children she imparted her values, and taught them to live responsibly and right.
They never doubted her love; to repay her, when she needed them most, they all stood by her side.

She was a woman of deep faith and had a true relationship with the Lord.
That none of her children continued in their Catholic upbringing, certainly saddened her to the core.
She finally accepted their walk with God, though, so as not to let the differences bring discord.
However, she never quit proselytizing by leaving subtle hints and her church’s brochures!

She was a reserved person, but at the same time, spoke her mind as she saw fit.
Because of her quiet demeanor, however, others sometimes did dismiss.
Yet, those who took the time to know her discovered her endearing qualities and dry wit.
Soft spoken and genuine, she was the kind of person you just never forget.

She was resourceful and frugal to a fault.
Like many of her generation, she rarely discarded things she bought.
However, when you needed something, you felt sure she would have it about.
If not, she would go out of her way to order it from one of her many catalogs.

She had an amazing green thumb and many interests.
Her specialties in growing plants were shamrocks and violets.
With her many talents, like her crocheting, she blessed others with gifts.
My favorite of her talents, though, was how she could watch two soap operas at the same time, and with neither one miss a lick!

She had ageless charm and beauty; her thoughtful ways, she maintained to the end.
To those of us who loved her, we thought of her as a special gem.
Although we miss her very much, we know that we will see her again. 
What I look forward to most is when she greets me the way she always did, by asking,
“Loretta Sue, how have you been?”

*Footnote- Elizabeth is the only person who ever called me by my full name.  Knowing she did so out of love, each time was special.

Sue Nash/2013