Mother-in-laws get a bad rap. They are the butt of many jokes. They are accused of meddling, finding fault, and visiting without calling, unwanted advice, and much more.
I disagree with this. My mother-in-law, Tessie Viola, was a terrific, gracious, loving and charismatic woman. She came from a large Italian family. 
She was the magnet that pulled the family together. Members would pop in a couple of times a week (no telephone calls), and they were warmly welcomed. Tessie did not ask “are you hungry?” She would spread a table of food, a wonderful smorgasbord. I always had a problem trying to taste all the dishes. To this day I don't know where all this food came from.
She would visit casual acquaintances in the hospital. The Violas were one of the first families to get a TV. Every Tuesday night when Milton Berle was on, friends and relatives would come. Tessie would always put food out. The T.V. was on the front porch. When the World Series was on, the Brooklyn Dodgers were playing, the sanitation men were collecting when they heard yelling coming out of the windows. They started to peek in. Tessie called them inside to check the
score and brought them lemonade.
In this big family there was always a birthday. All birthdays were celebrated with a cake. This one time, Tessie asked me to pick up the cake. I went to pick it up, the clerk asked me, “do they really have this many birthdays?” The answer was yes.
When Tessie Viola, my mother-in-law passed away many years ago. But she left a wonderful legacy of good deeds, compassion and love.