My mother-in-law, Joni Talbert, lost her battle with breast cancer yesterday. Today, I was reading her obituary and I realized how little that tells you about the person who died. It tells you that she had children and grandchildren. That she worked. That she was married. But there is so much it doesn’t tell you.

It doesn’t tell you how much her husband loved her and is going to miss. It doesn’t tell you of her sacrifice to help raise her autistic grandson. There is no mention of how she was so sick, but still wanted to make Christmas dinner rather than buying it. It doesn’t tell you that she was co-captain of the cheerleading squad in high school. The reality is that the obituary tells you so little about the person that just passed.

I wish I knew David’s mom better. Family circumstances made that almost impossible. But I do know that she raised the wonderful man that is my son and for that I will be eternally grateful.

Right now, it is still odd that she is gone. But I know that there is life beyond this one. And I know that we will see her again someday. Until then, she will be missed by her entire family.