Reminders of My Belle-Mere

My blog friend, Katie from Thyme for Cooking, reminded me that the French word for "mother in law" is "belle-mere," which translates as "beautiful mother." Much, much more appropriate than the stern English term for My Beloved's mother! She was truly a beautiful woman, inside and out.

My niece, Ann-Marie, reminded me that the cocktail party in heaven just got better. Nice to think that she was welcomed there with open arms and cries of delight, given a martini (her doctor didn't allow alcoholic drinks here on Earth for the past several years) and sat down for a catch-up with some of her favorite folks.

This photograph reminded me of happier times spent with her. We took this picture on her 90th birthday, three years ago. She had to be sprung from the health center for the party and her doctor would have grumbled at that chocolate bombe that you see before her, but she relished having her children and grandchildren with her to celebrate - and she relished that cake, too!

I would need a book, rather than a short blog post, to begin to tell you what a wonderful woman she was, so I won't try. Suffice it to say that she will be missed by virtually everyone who ever knew her and that she leaves for me a daily reminder of how to live life well and fully.