After my father in law died in 1998, my mother in law became more and more reclusive as time went by.  Try as we might we couldn’t get her to go anywhere or socialize with anyone.  She became the invisible woman in her neighborhood.  Yesterday I heard a lot more about her from her neighbors than I knew.

     The neighbor from across the street came over and during the course of our conversation; I found that the most he ever saw of her was her hand reaching into her mailbox.  (She had a lovely porch to sit on and never used it.)  Her next-door neighbors hardly knew she existed, they thought my husband lived there since they saw him more often than they saw his mother.

     The saddest thing is, I’ve met many of her neighbors over the last several months, and they are very sweet and kind people.  She never gave them a chance.  She constantly complained about them to my husband or called the police for many an imagined infraction. 

     Each neighbor that I’ve met from every house and apartment near her, no matter what their age, have all been wonderful.  The woman directly next door, in the apartments, has sent her kids over to help us move things outside and then back in each time we’ve been there.  Her kids are so nice.  I’m sure they would’ve run errands for my MIL at any time, but she never gave any of her neighbors a chance.