“I was 29 years old at the time. We were so happy about having our first child. Alex and I had been married for three years. Then, during one of the checkups, the doctor wasn’t able to find it. “It broke my heart,” Lily said.

That Lily has such a great mother-in-law makes her feel over the top lucky.

I still remember how tight I held Alex’s hand in the doctor’s office. It hurt like hell when the doctor said those words. “I’m sorry, there’s no heartbeat,” he stated. I had to hold back tears.

Sue, she was there for me right away, bless her heart. She must have known something was wrong because she came to our door crying. “Oh, sweetheart,” she said as she hugged me. “I’m so sorry.”

After that, we spent a lot of time together. Susan would bring me food and just hang out with me almost every day. As we went through the baby clothes we had bought one night, I just couldn’t hold back any longer.

My voice was shaking as I said, “I don’t know how to deal with this.”

Susan gave me a tight hug. “You don’t need to handle it by yourself. “Honey, we’re here for you,” she said in a strong but soft voice.

As the weeks went by, Susan’s help never stopped.

She pushed me to talk about how I felt, even when they were bad and hard to admit. She told everyone one day that she had a miscarriage before Alex was born. Not only did it surprise me, but it also made me feel less alone.

“I had a miscarriage too, before Alex came along,” she told me one afternoon as we drank tea in the kitchen. “It was the hardest thing I ever went through.”

I was shocked when I looked at her. “I had no idea.”

“Yeah, not many people talk about it.” It’s okay, you’re not the only one going through this, she told me as she squeezed my hand.

After a few months, Susan helped me find a support group for women who had been through the same things I had.

It helped to know I wasn’t the only one having a hard time. I really felt bad when I told her I wasn’t sure if I could try again.

“I don’t know if I can handle it,” I told him one night through tears.

She sat down next to me and took my hand. “Honey, it’s okay to be scared. Don’t let fear keep you from having hope, though. “You’re stronger than you believe.”

Then I found out I was pregnant again one day. Even though I was scared, Susan was there with us to celebrate. “This is your rainbow baby,” she said with tears in her eyes. Susan cried happy tears with us when Nathan was born, very healthy and strong.

She became like a second mother to me after that. She was no longer just my mother-in-law.

Susan has been there for every big event, every hard time, and every happy occasion as she has watched Nathan grow up. I had to tell her one day how much I love her.

I said, “Thank you,” but my voice was shaking. “For everything. “Without you, I could not have done it.”

She gave me a tight hug and told me, “You’re my daughter, and I’ll always be here for you.”

That’s why, even when things look the worst, there can be light. And Susan, she’s been my light the whole time.

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