Last night at 5:50 PM a Southwest Airlines flight from Las Vegas, Nevada landed at St. Louis’ Lambert International Airport.  An ordinary Wednesday night flight like any other flight around the nation….except…….in that plane was my MOTHER-IN-LAW!!!

It is an American cliché to speak in a foreboding tone about one’s mother-in-law.  Until a few years back this too was true of me.  I think we are in a good place now.  What a long strange trip it’s been…….10 years in the making.

It would be hard to blame her for her well founded concern and apprehension.  The woman’s only daughter fell in love with and married a divorced man who is 12 years older and has 4 children from that previous marriage?!  There were other “reasons” that also gave her pause and skepticism….that I will not discuss.  That said she and her recently deceased husband (great, kind and thoughtful man) were patient, direct, polite and extended a benefit of the doubt that I probably, up to that point, had not earned.  I remain grateful that they gave me a chance at all.   I say that as the father of 3 daughters of my own.  She probably does not realize it but I have come to admire her greatly.  I wish my own mother could have been half as strong and talented as my mother-in-law.   Sure there are plenty of things that she and I do not agree on.  She is a Trump person?!……I am a rational, thoughtful and compassionate human being.   LOL….could not help it.  Seriously, she is a Trump person….I just don’t get that?!   A conversation for another time.  Get to the point Dave?!

The point of this commentary is that life and relationships can be hard to figure and hard to maintain but if we are lucky; people will stick with you long enough to figure out you were worth the wait and they just might be all the better for having you in their life.  I hope that is true for her because it is true for me.  It has only taken 10 years…….for my mother in law to like me….to like us as a couple……to like us as a family……and for her to actually stay WITH us when she comes to town to visit.

We are glad you are here and I am glad we are family……it has been 10 years in the making…..and it was worth the wait.

Peace,

DD