Superstitions and a tearful goodbye

I've never been one to subscribe to the whole superstitions theory. You know, walking under a ladder, breaking a mirror, killing a cricket, crossing paths with a black cat, etc. Really, how can someone have seven straight years of bad luck for breaking a mirror? Seems silly.

That being said, I'm convinced that I did something to deserve 3 straight years of crappy luck. They say bad things happen in 3's, and of that I am sure. For the third year in a row, I've suffered a devastating loss. This time it was my mother-in-law who passed away after a short battle with lung cancer on September 12. This explains why I've been M.I.A. for the past week. I'm not going to get on my soap box to preach the dangers of smoking. Every smoker knows them.

I'd much rather focus my energies on remembering my mother-in-law for the wonderful mother and grandmother that she was. She was extremely generous and overly affectionate to my children. She was their last remaining grandparent, and her loss creates a void in their lives that can be filled by no one. Her lively spirit will live on through her children and grandchildren, and for that I am grateful.

I will miss our cheerfully long phone conversations, our lunch outings after which we always followed up with ice cream and our family gatherings. As the matriarch of my husband's family, she was the cornerstone of every family gathering and function. She will be irreplaceable at those gatherings. No one will ever be able to fill her shoes.

Before she departed us, we enjoyed a gathering days before her passing. It was filled with lots of laughs and good times. My mother-in-law insisted it be no other way.

With her grandchildren.

With her children.

With her children and their spouses.
She'll forever be missed.