National Mother-in-Law Day: She Truly Is a Mother-in-Love

In Honor of My Mother-in-Law

I remember meeting my mother-in-law for the very first time. I had traveled to spend Christmas with my then-boyfriend’s family. Of course, I was nervous. I was a city girl coming to stay for a few days in the farmlands of Michigan. There was snow everywhere and it was so cold. But the welcome from my boyfriend’s family was very warm, especially from his mom. Fast forward forty years and she has now been my mother-in-love for the past 38 years. In honor of Mother-in-Law’s Day, this post is dedicated to her.

Meet My Mother-in-Love

Loralie Rae is her name and she was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1936. She lived in Detroit until she was 12 years old and her family then moved to Algonac, Michigan. Algonac is a small town on the east side of Michigan. They nicknamed Algonac, “the Venice of Michigan” because it has many canals located on the mouth of the St. Clair River. When Loralie was in the 10th grade, she met the love of her life. They were married in June 1955. Two weeks after she graduated high school. 

Loralie and her husband, Norman would have four children: three boys and a girl. A wife and mother was her calling. She dedicated her life to her marriage and raising her four children. When I met her, her two oldest children were married. I was dating her third child, Tim. And her youngest was still in high school. They lived on about an acre of land near their church. My husband’s father was a pastor of a small country church.

An amazing cook, Loralie could whip up a meal for her family of six like a magician performing a magic trick. Another hobby of hers was canning. This was a new concept to me, as I did not grow up watching anyone do this. They lived close to the farms and would get the freshest fruits and vegetables. She would then prepare them and create lots of mason jars full of jams and veggies. Since the winters were pretty serious where she lived, these jars would be a large part of her winter menus. My children grew up eating her strawberry preserves with their peanut butter. I don’t think they ever tried store-bought, as we always had a care package of flavors.

Now that I am also a mother-in-love, I have learned to walk in the shoes that my husband’s mom has worn.

As a mom of two children, I prayed for who they would marry. You just want the best for them, someone to love them more if not as much as you do. Someone to compliment them and make them a better person. Mothers-in-law sometimes get to be the punchline of jokes and get a bad wrap, but it isn’t always an easy job. You are gaining another child into your family–your child’s spouse. But you are also giving your child away. You are passing them on to their new family.  

A mom will always be a mom no matter how old her child becomes, no matter how far they venture away as an adult. I am so thankful for Loralie and how she role modeled for me how to give away her son to his new wife. She taught me how to pray for my children and she shared how she had prayed for me. I was an answer to her prayers. Loralie has shown me that she is not just a mother-in-law, she truly is a mother-in-love.