The Visitor

My mother-in-law (m-i-l) just spent 3 weeks visiting. I know, I know. Most of you are probably squirming at the thought; while others bristle at the idea of having any house guest for 3 weeks. Luckily it was a pleasant visit for the most part.

My m-i-l is a very thoughtful and wonderful house guest. She came for a vacation and did her best to go out and enjoy herself in the Big Apple. We had an occasional planned event with her, a dinner here and there but mostly she is very independent. I find that I can talk to her more directly than I can my own mother. She’s a very funny and smart woman and I totally respect her.

That said, 3 weeks is a long time and I’ve been thinking of all the conversations and happenings now. I find that I can’t even recall a lot of what we talked about and it’s important to do so. Why you might ask? It’s helpful to figure out some things about relationships – namely between me and my husband. But also, to help my husband understand his family and their relationships.

I suppose as usual that I spend a lot of time thinking about relationships in general. I think it’s important because you can always learn a lot about yourself by looking at how you handle/deal/relate to others.

What the best part of having my m-i-l come to visit? Getting a thank you card, sneakily left on our table as we left for the airport, thanking me for being me. It’s something my mom would never have the guts to tell me in spoken or written form. She’d rather just make me feel like a horrible person.