A Quiet Strength
I landed in Dubai, unaware of the turmoil on the ground in Chennai that Srikanth, my husband, was going through. He had texted a poignant 4 words “Amma just passed away”. Words that felt so heavy. I called immediately. It was true, and we tried consoling each other as best as we could over the impersonal cell phone. I keep a Google Sheet of the Moolangudi family names, relationships, little notes that help me keep track of a sprawling, beloved clan. Lately, I’ve found myself shading more and more names in gray, marking those who’ve left this earth for their next heavenly journey. Each one stings. But this last one… my mother-in-law… this one was tough in a way I wasn’t prepared for. My aunt used to tell me that my in-laws treated me like a princess. She would know she was my mother-in-law’s best friend, confidante, and partner-in-crime for decades. When I first met my mother-in-law, she seemed so quiet, almost shy. Very unassuming. I thought she was simply gentle. Little did I kno...