Mum was the complete opposite of the stereotypical mother-in-law: I never had a cross word or criticism from her, only unqualified love and acceptance.
I was welcomed into the Wilson family back in 1982 when I came back from Gibraltar (where David and I met) just three days before we were married; Mum had made an amazing 3 tier wedding cake, prepared floral bouquets, cooked mountains of delicious food and even had the lawn returfed so we could have the reception there! It was such a happy day and there were so many more over the next 34 years. She wrote to me every month for the whole 3 years David and I were in Brunei, she invited us to stay in their 2 bedroomed flat when we returned in 1985 with our 5 month old Luke and had nowhere to live (Ian was also living at home then too so was relegated to a mattress on the floor in the sitting room every night, poor guy!). We later spent many weekends and even Christmases in Clarence Road, often with Mark and Linda and their families visiting too, so that mealtimes had to be in two sittings, but Mum was in her element – she happily spent hours in the kitchen preparing and catering for our varied tastes. I loved her garden there, so full of lovely flowers, and where I often weeded while she was cooking. When not in the kitchen, Mum was usually sewing or knitting for someone in the family, and often for others too, and the grandchildren possess amazing knitted alphabet blankets that took hours and hours to finish, quite apart from jumpers, hats and toys over the years. I have a large collection of cross-stitch cards which she somehow found time to sew for each individual family member for birthdays, Christmas and Easter. Fortunately, the arthritis that plagued her for over half her life didn’t affect her hands and this year she continued knitting hats, mittens and blankets for premature babies in the local hospital right up until her second admission to hospital in August. It was only in the last few months that her amazing memory (she could recite family names and most birthdays for at least six generations) began to fail her. She also had to be one of the oldest people in UK to start using Skype after Mark gave her an IPad before it was even on sale here! And of course, that led to Facebook, and then the world opened up! More importantly, it became her lifeline, especially when Dad’s health started deteriorating. Their 65 year marriage was an inspiration to us all, and her nine grandchildren and one great grandson, who will all be here for her funeral this weekend, will treasure the love she gave to them, as she treasured theirs.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud
1 Corinthians
This verse will always make me think about Mum; she had a strong faith that I know gave her great comfort and it comforts me to know that she is now with Dad. God bless you, Mum, and thank you for everything you did for me and my family.
