Dear daughter-in-law,
I love you dearly. Not just because you love our son so well but because you are worthy and lovable, just the way you are.
I love you dearly. Not just because you are the beautiful mother to our grandbaby but because you are fearfully and wonderfully made.
I love you. Not because you’re like me, no, but because we’re as different as the individual, unique snowflakes that drift down from the sky.
I love you like my own daughter not just because you married into our family but because God gave our family the phenomenal gift of you.
Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for supporting my endeavors as I support yours. Thank you for accepting me even when I say the wrong things or give too much advice. You may not know this, but I think about the error of my ways when I lie in bed at night. I want to do better and better and always do right by you.
I’m grateful that we both believe the best in each other and know that everyone is a work in progress—that it’s never a competition, but a dance filled with kindness and grace; a dance we rejoice and participate in together. We reach our hands to the sky in praise when we get the steps right, moving in sync, and we lift one another up with tender, forgiving spirits if we stumble or fall. Not opponents but confidants. Not at odds but in cahoots. We laugh and share and embrace who God made each of us to be.
Our relationship is a rare bounty. I see you, and you see me. I see how you plan and imagine. I see the myriad ways you nurture and spoil your family. You’re brilliant and creative. You balance the demands of home and the tensions of the outside with endless amounts of grace. You read books and watch videos, always learning and making sure to do right by the baby we all adore. That lucky one is blessed beyond measure to have you for a mama.
I thank God He placed you in our son’s life. For years, you’re the person we’d dreamed of and prayed for, and God came through lavishly. I see how you take care of one other. I see the sweet and thoughtful ways you prepare favorite meals and surprise your husband with the things he enjoys. You champion him in his work and do what you can to take the various pressures off his shoulders. He does the same for you. You two make an incredible team in marriage and parenthood. You respect and admire one another, and he wants nothing more than to keep bringing you joy. What an invaluable legacy from the Lord!
I can promise this: as long as I’m here, I’ll help in any way you’d like me to. I will cheer you on and assist however possible. It’s your journey, and it’s a pleasure to witness. You see, for as much as I care about the baby’s well-being, I care about yours the same.
I listen when you navigate the tangle of emotions that define motherhood and the expansion of your nest, and you offer an ear when I’m feeling the sentiments that arrive from mine becoming small.
Thank you for trusting me with your cherished baby. The time I get to spend with that precious one fills my heart with delight that spills over into every square inch of me. Thank you for trusting my instincts. It means the world to me.
I pray for you. I pray for your health and your future. I pray that God gives you the strength each day for the tasks He puts in front of you. It’s amazing how He fills your heart with gratitude. May His favor and blessings be upon you for a thousand generations.
You are fabulous. You are loved. I’m so very thankful for you.
Always and forever,
Your grateful mother-in-law
*I have two amazing daughters-in-law, Abby and Jennifer, but for the sake of not having everything in the plural (and the fact that I adore them equally), this letter is dedicated to both of them.
by Lauren Eberspacher 
by Debra Wilson 
by Amy Williams 
