This red head was a feisty lady. She did things her way, and was very independent. She was German, and no nonsense. She was proud that she worked hard, and took care of her boys, and herself, and never asked for help! She left home and her Mom and Dad, and 11 siblings when she was very young. From there she worked, she married, and she had two boys.
There was only one thing that could totally do her in. Snakes! She was terrified of snakes of any kind. The mere mention of the word made her shiver. Once when she and the boys were home on the farm they lived on outside Omaha, a snake dared to enter her yard. She went in and got the shotgun, stood up on a block of wood, and with the gun on her arm, not her shoulder, she proceeded to fire. She missed the snake, and bruised her arm greatly! The snake slithered away, probably with a smile.
She was a lady who had a lot of friends wherever she went. After working all day, she bowled on a team, she ate with friends, and she played Bingo. She wasn't shy about traveling, and enjoyed trips to Arizona, Amana Colonies in Iowa, and even a Cruise. She loved to joke with people, and she loved to Polka. She was game for anything fun!
Fun as she was, she was a worrier. Even though she knew God was in charge, she worried. As she got older, she watched the news and weather, but got confused. If they said it was snowing or flooding somewhere in the country, she thought it was in her neighborhood. She worried about her family. Always wanting to know if they were o.k. She wanted the details of everyone's life, jobs, and general circumstances.
Later in life after she retired, she taught an exercise class for the ladies in her apartment building. She helped decorate and fix food for any events in her building. She learned how to do ceramics. She made some beautiful things. She was always there to help others fire their pieces when they needed help. She was an avid reader, up until her eyes were too dim to see. She had dozens of cook books, and dozens of other recipes cut from magazines, and papers. Her big love besides Bingo was crossword puzzles. She was very proud of the fact that she did them in ink, she knew words most people don't, and spent her life learning more every day.
Who was this lady? I was blessed to call her mother-in-law. I married her youngest, and she welcomed me in. We didn't always agree, but I learned from her. I learned to be strong, and to enjoy family time just visiting. We didn't have to go anywhere, or have an event. I learned about loyalty to family! Even into her 90s, when I had surgery for a knee replacement, she waited on me. She made sure I had food, and she did my ironing. By that time she lived down the hall from us, so she was right there. A few years later, I was privileged to take care of her.
She has been in her new home now for Three years. She is surrounded by music, which she loved. She can dance down a street of gold if she chooses. Her frail body is healed, her eyes see again, and she can here all the sounds of her new home. We still miss her, and find we want to tell her something, only to remember, she's not here, she's there. One day, we will join her, and what a joy that will be! She wasn't' just my mother-in-law....she was my Mom!
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