The Other Mrs. Huntley

My mother-in-law is 93. I know we're closer and closer to farewell with each passing day, and I'm heartbroken. She won me over the first time she called my daughter, Rhiannon, a “marvel.”

“She can do anything, can't she?”

What mom doesn't instantly love someone for noticing how special her child is?

I would stop by my husband's childhood home completely unannounced, and she would laugh, delighted at the intrusion. We'd sit at the breakfast table, chatting about small things, while she made her shopping lists. She was the type to hit four different stores for her groceries, and she was tickled to learn my husband, Tony - her youngest son - was the same way.

Now, when she forgets I'm her daughter-in-law, she introduces me as her best friend. She once shared that she needed me and Rhiannon, “What would I do without you?”

I try to stop by her her care facility unannounced to surprise her, but she's usually asleep. She sleeps a lot now, and she shared she hopes to stay asleep, “I've lived a long life, you know.”

I leave her sticky notes or sign her calendar so she knows I was there. I hope she understands what her acceptance and affection means to me, the other Mrs. Huntley.