10. Her smile. Stena can turn the world on with her smile (just like Mary Tyler Moore)...one smile from her and suddenly you're smiling too!
9. Her adventurous spirit. Her DH is a biker (bicycles, not motorcycles) and they recently did a bike ride from their NJ home to Stena's brother home in CT--hauling trailers behind them! Stena had little Billy behind her and my #2 son hauled all their gear behind him. And she did it all with that wonderful smile of hers! They also go biking through NYC...though I don't know if that "adventurous" or just downright crazy.
8. Her devotion to God. She is prayerful person who turns to God for inspiration, guidance and she regularly thanks God for her many blessings. She treats others with kindness and charity. She is always loving for ways to bless the lives of those around her in a Christlike way. She is a Sunday School teacher for teen-agers and is faithful in fulfilling that assignment and in making her lessons meaningful to them.
7. Her intelligence. She graduated college with a major in Statistics! That's one class I never took in college and one of the reasons I never fulfilled my dream of earning a doctorate degree. She not only earned a degree in Statistics, she worked as a Actuarial before becoming a mother...and she passed as many of the required tests in that field as she took. She stays current on the events of the day and carries on intelligent conversations both at home and in the company of strangers (ie, parties where she doesn’t know anyone).
6. Her creativity. You can see her artistic ability in last week's cartoon (yes, that is her very own creation). And for Christmas, she wrote and illustrated a book about my life, then published it and made enough copies for everyone in the family. She had me looking better in many of her drawings of me than I ever did in "real life".
5. Her love of motherhood. She is a terrific mom who loves being able to stay home with little Billy. She fills their days with music, games, science, outings and play time. She nurtures him in every sense of the word and I am so grateful to have her as the mother of my grandchild (grandchildren--I'm sure she'll give me more.) By the way, this goes for my other DIL, too...my sons could not have chosen better women to marry and to be the mother of their children. Love you, Lizzie!
4. Her “let’s do it” attitude. Stena is a can-do kind of gal. Carry out a fund-raising project for the youth at church, no problem. She’ll ask others for ideas and then narrow them down to what is feasible and then she’s off making it happen. I have a membership at my local YMCA and at Christmas time she noticed a Zumba class in session and said “let’s give it a try.” We did—along with sons #2 and #3—and we had a blast. Now I’m going to Zumba twice a week and loving it…something that would not have happened if Stena hadn’t made the suggestion.
3. Her love of all people. Stena is not a judger. She is an accepter. She looks for the best in everyone and always finds something to appreciate in others. My youngest son has Down Syndrome and Stena recently told me she was very nervous about meeting him for the first time. That came as such a surprise to me because I remember that first meeting and she seemed totally comfortable. Not only that, but Hann took to her immediately. Hann has a 6th sense about people—he knows who is real and who is putting on an act, who is accepting of him and who isn't. So the fact that Hann loved Stena from their first encounter told me she was a keeper. Now when we Skype, she and Hann spend the time making goofy faces at each other, son #2 is in the mix as well—and it’s a delight to watch.
2. She keeps me “in the loop.” Even though we live 1000s of miles apart, she keeps me posted on what she is doing through regular emails and phone calls. She sends lots of pictures of little Billy with tales of his latest adventures. She takes video of him and sends them via email as well so I can see her little guy in action. The night she felt his first tooth, she was on the phone telling me the big news. She puts together delightful recaps of trips taken with pictures and text and sends them my way. All these things help to bridge the physical distance between us and helps me feel connected to her, to my son, and to my grandson.
1. Her love and support for my son. I love, love, love my 4 sons and think they are the best men around. It’s wonderful knowing that Stena loves son #2 every bit as much (if not more) than I do. Her love for him is unconditional. She supports him in his goals and dreams. She’s willing to make sacrifices now (they are poor students as he attends graduate school) so that they can have a brighter future. She only speaks kind words about him and doesn’t complain about his shortcomings (yes, much as I love him, I know he’s not perfect). I know she loves through her words, her actions, and her attitude. What more could a mother want in a DIL?
Love you, Stena!
Are you a mother-in-law scratching her head over how...and why!...your most amazing child chose their spouse? Do you wonder where you went wrong in their upbringing? OR, are you a daughter/son-in-law trying to figure out how your delightful and much loved spouse could have been raised by that battle ax--er, your mother-in-law. Ask the experts how to handle the each other without tearing the family apart in the process.
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