Always Mom

For ten years of my life, Shirley Zwolanek was my mother-in-law. From the moment I met her all those years ago, her warmness, her sense of humor, her sensitive spirit and her kindness made me love her. There is always a smile and a hug whenever she is around, and she has always embraced her sons friends as her "own". Some of my best memories of mom are of sitting in the living room on a Sunday afternoon and listening to her laugh while she was on her weekly phone call with her best friend. No matter what was happening, that laugh just made you feel warm inside.

A few years ago Mom and Dad Z gave us the gift of a lifetime, a trip to England! It was the best time, and I am still so grateful for the opportunity to spend that adventure with them. When hard times come, and things change in a way that you could never have expected, your memory tends to focus on stellar moments of happiness, and for me, that trip to England will always be a precious, precious time. No matter what has happened, or what happens in the future, I will always see this woman as my mother-in-law, and remember the times that we've had together, and the lessons in gentleness that she taught me.