A Woman Goes Viral After Sharing Texts From MIL About Dinner Plans After Her Mom Dies

It’s often assumed that the relationship between mothers and their children’s partners is typically strained. However, in reality, there are countless instances where people develop close and harmonious bonds with their in-laws. A Louisiana woman is gaining viral attention on TikTok after posting the texts she received from her mother-in-law following her own mother's passing.

The woman reflected on her experience of losing her mom.

Macie Wood, 33, shared that she lost her mother to colon cancer when she was 20 years old. At the time, she had a 7-month-old child, making the experience profoundly life-altering. “My mother was my best friend,” she recalls.

Just a day after her mother’s funeral, Wood’s father-in-law was diagnosed with colon cancer as well. He passed away a year later.

“My mother-in-law was going through her own life-altering event,” Wood says, noting that they bonded over their shared grief. Annie, her husband’s mother, eventually became “the rock of our family.”

“Annie is the absolute matriarch. I have so many friends that don’t have that relationship with their mother-in-law, so I feel very lucky,” Wood adds.

Wood's MIL was nurturing love through simple gestures.

Wood, a high school English teacher, says that after her mother passed away, her mother-in-law stepped in to help with daily tasks, often sending texts during Wood’s busy day to let her know that dinner was taken care of.

“She’ll text me at work, ’Hey baby, food’s on the stove,’” Wood says. “Randomly. I don’t ask her to do this. She does it out of the goodness of her heart. As a busy mother, having that small act of kindness is the largest act of love.”

In other messages shared on her TikTok, Annie informs Wood of dinner plans, “I made spaghetti in the crockpot for supper,” reads one. “I fixed dirty rice and garlic bread for supper,” reads another.

Though Annie’s text messages are short and to the point, they convey love and affection, helping to fill the void left by the death of Wood’s mother.

Wood now calls her MIL “mother-in-love”.

Wood, a mother of five who balances a full-time teaching job and is currently pursuing her master's degree, says the dinners have been immensely helpful for a busy mom. But more than that, these acts of service have shown kindness and emotional support when Wood needed it most.

Wood reflects on a pivotal moment in her life, emphasizing the absence of her own mother during a crucial time: early motherhood. Instead, she found solace and support in her mother-in-law, whom she affectionately refers to as her "mother-in-love."

Wood says: "It takes someone extremely selfless and special to unintentionally fill a void in someone else’s life. She doesn’t do it for accolades, she doesn't do it to be some hero. It is just innately ingrained in her DNA. The world can use more hearts like hers."

Identifying sources of emotional assistance.

During times of grief, it’s crucial to tap into various sources of emotional support to ease the burden of bereavement:

• Grieving with family: Lean on your loved ones to share memories, express emotions, and find solace in their presence.
• Support groups: Joining grief support groups offers a safe space to connect with others who understand your experience, share coping strategies, and navigate emotions together.
• Therapists and counselors: Seek professional guidance from therapists or counselors specializing in grief to receive personalized support, resources, and coping mechanisms.
• Online communities: Engage with social media groups, forums, and websites dedicated to grief support, where you can connect with others facing similar challenges and find solidarity in shared experiences.

After losing his wife tragically in 2009, the actor Liam Neeson never stopped loving her. Now, he's opening up about how his mother-in-law has been instrumental in supporting him.