Midwest Memo
Remembering rain
by Alan Shultz

The news of my mother-inlaw's death came unexpectedly, a startle on an otherwise uneventful Monday night. These events are rarely expected - this was no exception. Her Monday had been a full one, a good day. I called each of our children and then got in the car to drive back to Delphi.

It rained Monday.

As I sped along the highway back home I thought about a rain that fell on two of the ladies in my life so many years ago. As I considered that event, I realized that at that moment I was driving the very path that they took during that hard falling rain.

When Deb and I married, I got the easy end of the in-law arrangement. I think even my own parents would have agreed to that assessment. Deb's folks, Beverly and Jonah Peterson, were welcoming and inclusive. They made few demands on the newlyweds, yet the welcome mat was always out.

One of the sweet bonuses of our marriage was that Beverly and my mother got to pal around together a bit.

One of my mom's favorite spots in the world was the summer house she and my dad owned in Michigan City. The Peterson's had been guests at that house and on this particular day my mom and Beverly headed off to the beach for a day's outing.

My mom was a capable driver and had made the trip countless times. But from what I recall, this particular rain was a deluge. It was one of those sudden summer downpours when the sky opens up and drivers pull off the road because they can't see.

So the ladies were in my folks' big four-door Buick on the Calumet Expressway and even with the windshield wipers on fast, they faced a wall of water pouring down upon them.

My mother would have been tense, very tense. So would have I.

Not Beverly.

When the story got recounted, and I heard both versions, one theme was consistent. Bev remained calm throughout the event. She told me later that she had been confident in my mom's driving so she wasn't afraid.

My mother, in turn, said that

Beverly's calm had made my mother feel more confident and the situation less scary.

In the days to come folks will share all kinds of memories of Beverly. She made the best macaroni and cheese known to mankind. She enjoyed a good laugh. She set a beautiful table. I won't claim more than my share of memories. Others are due their turn.

But I will say this, Beverly's calm in the rainstorm, her confidence in my mom's driving, this trait was a quality she expressed easily and generously towards many. Beverly allowed folks to be themselves around her, no pretense, and her easy nature made her companionship a comfortable fit for family and for friends.

She made the job of son-inlaw an easy slam dunk.

She will me missed by many. It rained Monday, and it made me remember.