by Linda
Life is funny sometimes. When you least expect it, it teaches you great lessons. At least that's what happened to me and I am just now realizing it. You see trophy husband and I and our kids would travel to visit his family in New Mexico and Colorado every year. It was always at least a 12 hour drive. 12 long hours there and 12 long hours back. Sometimes, when we had limited time off, we would drive 12 hours, visit 1 day then drive 12 hours home. And let me just come out and say it-the roads in New Mexico s... aren't what I'm used to driving on. 2 lane highways, no shoulder, pavement issues. I would sometimes joke that we needed to leave our car at the state line and go by burro the rest of the way. Sometimes these trips felt like a chore.
We did this for many years. My MIL loved New Mexico and each visit was truly an adventure. She would take us places and tell us stories about each place. The history of the place and lots of times, the relatives that had lived there. I wish I had taken notes or tape recorded her. She was always interesting. She was always curious. She was always learning and sharing what she learned.
Though our yearly trips have stopped, I am feeling the need to travel to New Mexico. I miss it. I miss the big skies, the mountains, the history and the people. I want to go and revisit the places I know and learn about the places I have never been. I want to take my camera and photograph the places that are off the beaten path and talk to the people there and hear their stories.
I was given a great gift from my amazing MIL. She showed me things I could not see, she showed me the beauty that was all around her. She showed me the value and reward of being curious. I will be forever grateful for this. I have a special place in my heart for her and the state she loved.
Not everyone is a great storyteller but even if the stories are small, just listening and trying to see life through their eyes can be such a rewarding experience. Go explore new places, ask questions, be curious and learn the stories that are there. You won't regret it. Be sure to take your camera!
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8 comments:
What a nice tribute. I love people like that. I was lucky enough to have the same kind of mother-in-law. I think of her especially when you say - always learning, always sharing what she learned. She was really a gift in my life.
I thought you were going to say you were moving West! What a gift to have been able to hear all her stories and visit special places there. My Dad is like that -he always has an interesting story to tell, and I live to hear them!
Well, of course, you know how partial I am to the West! But how wonderful to have had a mother-in-law to share her love of a favorite place with you. I can think of a lot of places I would like to go back to, this time with my camera to record it all. Your photos are beautiful, especially that last one which says "purple mountains majesty" to me. And that map! Such a great idea for a photo. Hope you get back to New Mexico someday.
This is beautiful. What a loving story of who she was to you and what she shared and taught. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Yes, when you get the chance to go you must! A close friend and I were just talking about this yesterday. Great reminder what a gift from you MIL.
What a lovely 'heirloom' from your MIL! It's funny, isn't it, how a place can seep into our beings without our noticing? I know you'll go back and the memories will be priceless. I've driven across NM but I didn't have any story tellers with me. If I go again, a story teller is a must! Maybe there's a road trip in our future, Linda!
What a lovely story Linda. I am so glad to hear that your MIL shared her gift of curiosity and life around her with you. Now it is time to go back and re-discover those places and find new ones. Love those sky shots, stunning!
What a beautiful, heartfelt post. I enjoyed it.
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