Lenten Journey: Respect your MIL

I asked Ruth to remain one more day on this journey because I wanted to reflect on the wonderful relationship that she has with her mother-in-law, Naomi. MILs are the topic of many cruel jokes. They are the central theme of many sitcoms, like "Everybody Loves Raymond" and plenty of movies, like "Monster-in-Law." The world portrays them as a curse upon marriages. And in many cases they are but in many they are not. Yet, because we tend to generalize, we may mistreat them when they truly don't deserve it.

I was blessed with a wonderful mother-in-law. I hope I learned from her so that one day I too will be a good mother-in-law. She never interfered in my marriage, she always took my side and she never offered unsolicited advice. She was a very humble, hard working woman. I never heard her complaint about having to work in a factory and my husband is the man he is because of her. She loved to cook and nothing pleased her more than to have us over for a Sunday meal. She lived in a tiny apartment but she accommodated all of us around her table and made us a meal fit for Cuban royals. I discovered "rabo encendido" (ox tail) because of her and she would always invite me over when she made it because she knew how much I liked it. She left us two years ago but her memories and traditions remain. Lucky for me and my kids, my husband inherited her cooking abilities. And my sister-in-law learned from her how to be a wonderful MIL who always puts the needs of her daughter-in-law and her grandkids before her own.

Ruth and Naomi had the kind of relationship that we all should have with our in-laws. Ruth was devoted to her MIL and treated her as if she was her own mother. Naomi cared deeply about Ruth and felt responsible for her. Their relationship is a reflection of God's love. Their story illustrates how wonderful life can be between in-laws when there is commitment on both sides to place each other needs before their own. That is what God expects from us, to have love and concern for one another. After all, our in-laws are our spouse's parents, our kids' grandparents and we should honor and respect them. And if you have already become an in-law yourself, you have to remember that your son or daughter-in-law was chosen by your child.  He/she will become or already is the parent of your grandchildren. It is to your benefit to get along with this person. And it begins with you. We as parents have to set the example. And Naomi can teach us a lot.

If you are blessed to have in-laws in your life, whether parents or children, love them and care for them. May the book of Ruth be a model to follows in our life so that we may be compassionate, generous and selfless to the people that God has placed in our lives.