………………………I had a great mother in law……Her name was Marianne. She was born in Belgium, and both of her parents, Jac’s grandparents, were cancer surgeons in Belgium. Jac’s mother was a model at 18. She and Jac had the same bodies, both tall and thin, the same blue eyes, the same strawberry blond hair, and the same long legs. What always struck me, just watching them, was how they moved about. How graceful they were without knowing it. I loved the way they moved their arms and how expressive they were with their hands. They were two swans………I have never EVER met a mother and daughter who were more devoted to each other. They had one heart….They were really inseparable……Just before WW11 the Germans were already a big presence in Belgium. Jac’s grandparents didn’t like the attention their daughter was getting from the soldiers. They saw what was happening else where and knew it was only a matter of time before the Nazi took over….so….they wisely decided to move to America. They both immediately started to work at Mt. Sinai Hospital in NYC. Jac mother continued to model in NYC, but she was introduced to her future husband by Jac’s grandmother…..Pierre Dubelle……..There was a large group of well educated and highly respected Belgians that would get together. Birds of a feather flock together. He was much older than Jac’s mother, but she was smitten by his charm and good looks. He also had a very important job in at the United Nations which was a very young organization. He was a very influential powerful man. It didn’t take long before they were married….Her father always worked and wasn’t home much….He died when Jac was 12, but for her his passing had little change in Jac’s life. She hardly knew him… It was Jac and her mother as it always had been. Jac did have a sister, also named Marianne, but it was always Jac and her mother……attached at the hip!!!….[photo bottom right second in was one of Jac’s favorites]…The TWO Musketeers……Marianne had a wonderful sense of humor [as you can see with the paper bag on her head!], and was a very creative, crafty person. She loved to paint and make things. She found a kindred spirit in me. Jac would be the first to admit she had absolutely no talent when it came to crafts or anything to do with art. Jac would say she couldn’t draw a straight line….so that was a special thing her Mom and I shared….What they did do well together was COOK. Her mom was a terrific cook and baker and taught Jac everything she knew. Her mother would make these incredible meals and Jac would only eat the vegetables!!!! When her mom would make my plate Jac would give me “THE EYE”…..and her mom would say…..”OH, let the boy eat!” Bless her heart!……….When she passed in the month of August, over 20 years ago [my parents were to pass that following Dec and Jan.], I thought Jac would go with her from a broken heart. Jac’s mom had lived with us for nine years, and when Jac’s mom passed Jac would sit in her mom’s bedroom, and write to her every day in her journals. There are stacks of them still there…….As you can see from the photos we have lots of them, and there are many many more of them in my house….boxes filled with them. Jac’s mom’s bedroom is exactly the same as when she was here. Every new season, after Jac’s mom’s passing, Jac would lay out on her bed a top appropriate for the season. Always a top that her mom loved and had special meaning. I have kept up with this tradition, and I too lay out a spring, summer, fall or winter top as if she’s here to put it on. Somehow I know Jac would want me to do it. I remember reading how Queen Victoria would have Prince Albert’s clothes laid out for him every day after he died. It seemed obsessive when I read about it, but now I understand the emotional need to keep them near……………..Now, the three most important women in my life are together in heaven. I know they are having a good time, and I know they miss me as much as I miss them. I know they are saving my place, and some happy day we will all be together again……………..Happy Mother’s Day to the greatest Moms.
Well Louis, you are one fortunate man to not only have a wonderful mother you were close to, but then to have such a lovely mother-in-love too! (I hope that I will be a mother-in-love so I am crossing my fingers that the boys marry nice girls!). Jac’s grandparents were indeed very wise to leave Belgium as so many did not when they had the chance. Who knew how bad it would be? We still had family over in Holland during that time and it was lucky they did not starve.
You indeed have three lovely women waiting for you. Love and hugs to you as always!
Karen, besides being worried about all the unwanted attention their daughter was getting [Jac’s mother told us stories about these soldiers coming on to her which scared her to death], thy realized they were both doctors, cancer doctors no less, and would probably be taken for the Reich. They didn’t waist time in leaving.
Wow! Jac certainly resembles her mother physically, and by your account, I understand how similar they were in spirit. How beautiful your love for your mother-in-law and your respect for the bond that she had with her daughter are.
May God rest their souls.
Dear Goldie, I have no doubt and never did how profoundly Jac loved me. I was her first and only love…..but……early on in our relationship she told me she wanted me to know that her mother would always be number one with her. I understood how much they had been through and how close they were. When I say they were one heart, I mean it. They would die for each other…..My answer to her was it was Ok with me if her mom was number one, as long as I was her number one guy.
You are truly one of a kind, Louis. How truly fortunate Jac was to have found a man with a heart as big as yours.
I know you love and respected her family. That means a lot to some of us. Respect.