My Sister-In-Law

My husband's brother married an Indian girl. She is now considered to be Native American but in this area we still say Indian.

They were very young when they married. My mother-in-law was terribly upset about it. I was not around then but my mother-in-law is the one who told me so I believe it to be true.

She said she just could not picture herself walking down the street holding the hand of a little Indian child and introducing it as her grandchild. In the ironic way that the world works their first child was her favorite of all the grandchildren.

My mother-in-law also came to care very much for my sister-in-law. Tolerance for differences can be learned.

 She will beMy sister-in-law died yesterday. She was only a couple of years older than me.

She had been fighting cancer for several years.

My sister-in-law did not like going to the doctor. She tried to treat discomfort and pain herself. She waited to long to get medical help.

She had surgery to remove as much as they could but a large part was too near the spine to get it all.

She has been undergoing chemotherapy and radiation for all these years. These treatments are so hard on the body. But she had hope that they would help.

And they did a little. But the masses never went away. So another round of therapy would be scheduled.

She has been telling me for a long time that she had made her peace and was ready to go. But she still hoped for another year or two.

The last time I called her she sounded so weak and tired. My brother-in-law told me that day that it didn't look good for her.

She leaves her husband, five children, and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. My children all cared for her very much. She always treated them as well as she treated her own children.

My sister-in-law will be missed by all of us. And I remind all to make sure to get those physicals. They could allow you those extra couple of years.