This pandemic has brought about so many losses including, jobs, financial security, freedom, human contact, human loss and the list goes on. But for all the losses most of us have endured, I have surprisingly found a place of peace where the grief has brought on something positive, something good. This brings me to my relationship with my mother in law. Plot twist... technically she is no longer my mother in law but I've worked hard to maintain an amicable relationship. This season has brought my mother in love and I closer and I now understand why. The uncertainty that this pandemic has brought to the fore font of my daily thoughts has given me a fresh appreciation for my loved ones. I want to mend relationships that have been fractured and abandoned. I'm genuinely in that WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) mentality.
When God put it on my heart to make an effort to mend our relationships I decided to do it. At first it was for my children, her grandchildren. It wasn't easy, our once loving relationship had turned sour towards the end of my union. I didn't really think I could move on with her without sorting out our issues and going back in time to rehash old wounds. So we did. I cried. We healed and we moved on. Now we have become so close that she has become my mother in love. She has been there for me and the girls at the point when the impact of the pandemic left me feeling overwhelmed and insecure about what could happen. She has been my support, praying and checking in on me and the girls, We resumed the three hour phone conversations that we used to have years ago when I was married to her son. And now as she was dealing with her own health crisis it was my turn to be there for her in anyway I knew how to be. I do my best from a long distance to make sure she has what she needs, calling her so the girls can build a strong connection with her, entertain her with their stories and also praying for her.
It has became really important for me to facilitate her relationship with the only grandchildren she has.
This season in my life has reiterated to me what I have always known but have not always taken heed to, Life is really short and can be snatched from us in any moment. It is time to dig up all the motivational quotes and put them to work. Look for the little joys that life always offers even when everything seems bleak, Sometimes it is a little harder to find them but you have to keep looking.
When I think of my mother in love, I focus on what we have in common and that helps to bring us closer. We both have a sweet tooth and we both love beets. Making a beet terrine seemed like the perfect dish for us to share once we can be together, bonding, laughing and ignoring the girls because sometimes we want our mother and daughter time too.
Try this Beet Terrine Recipe.