Mothers' Day
I'm not much of a fan of mothers' day anymore. It all turned sour six years ago when my mother-in-law was killed on mothers' day. Her mother-in-law accidentally hit her with a car. It was the kind of thing that seems as if it was "made up." It was the kind of thing that you don't get over.

I loved my mother-in-law. Before I ever met her she sent me a gift. I suppose she could detect a certain seriousness about James when he told her about me. So, I liked her before I ever met her. She was a petite Japanese woman with many talents, of which she never boasted. She was a tailor, a gardener and a cook. She spoke two difficult languages fluently. She was ever so kind to me. I cherish the memories of the conversations we had at her kitchen table. We usually left the table to explore her garden, which was brimming with iris, peonies, roses, Japanese cucumbers, figs and apples. She taught me how to make origami planets. She delighted in having me taste strange Japanese foods and watching my reaction to her line-up of Japanese pickles. And we never left without a cooler filled with roast beef, fried rice, sushi and chocolate cake!

I am thinking about her this mothers' day. I hope she knows how much I loved her. I learned so much from her about how to be a good mother-in-law, and I hope I can carry her way forward someday.