Marriage isn’t just a union between two loving people, it is also a bond between two families who get together and make a unique connection of their own.
Sometimes it works smoothly, and sometimes.. well, not so much.
Sometimes it takes a while until everyone knows each other. But sometimes, it’s too late and we don’t learn to appreciate the people around us on time.
When Scott Mann met her mother in law the first time, he didn’t feel any connection between them, and he knew they won’t be good friends.
But seven years into the marriage, their lives changed dramatically. Scott’s wife was diagnosed with Leukemia. She was only 30 years old.
And out of this tragedy Scott learned something important, something that he now wants to share in order to help others.
Here is Scott’s heart breaking letter:
This is Sharon.
She taught me that its important to see people the way they are and not the way you expect them to be.
When I first met my mother in law I had a hard time understanding her because her heavy accent. And she was a bit pushy, but in a polite way. But I knew it was very important to the love of my life, so I had no choice but to accept her as most of us do when we are forced a family.
After 7 years I still barely knew her.
When my ex-wife got Leukemia at age of 30, when the doctors gave her 10% change of surviving another year, when our world was shattered and changed forever, quietly Sharon entered the role for which she was born. She moved in with us, along with her husband, a disabled Vietnam war soldier whom she treats throughout the day, and became a personal nanny for my wife as well.
For two years she bought groceries, cooked every meal, did laundry, cleaned, drove her husband and my wife to the doctor appointments, organized tens of thousands of pills, and made sure they are taken on time.
And she did it when she herself was diagnosed with cancer while she took care of all the rest of us. While she had breast removal surgery during the time she went through chemotherapy treatment.
She hums to herself when she works. She talks to herself with no one around to listen, and she passes through the day with humility and modesty.
I took this picture before I went to work. She didn’t know I was there.
This is how, my friends, greatness looks in a silent moment. Waiting for the quacker to cook for her daughter for the 300th time since she became ill. Her hair dropped out of her chemo treatments. She refused to stop taking care of her despite all.
Not everyone get to meet a real life superhero. And for that I am filled with gratitude every day.
I think we can all learn something from Scott’s touching story. We will always have people in our lives, some of them in our family, who we don’t always get along with or love. But maintaining an open mind is essential. After years of not getting along with his mother in law, Scott finally realize what an incredible woman she is.