To my future mother-in-law,

You may not know how valuable you are to me. I may or may not have met you yet but you play a huge part in my life. There are moments when the mother-in-law gets the butt of the jokes, and no one really likes them. The mother of the bride seems to get first dibs in playing the part in the wedding, baby shower, as well as where the bride and groom are going to move when they have the baby. But I want to tell you the ways I appreciate you.

Thank you for raising your little boy to be the man of my dreams. He has treated me so well, and it is all because of you. It is because the love that you and his dad have shown him as well as leading him in Christian values. I could not be more proud in the path that he is going down.

Thank you for the godly relationship that you and my father-in-law have. Raising boys is not always easy but somehow both you have managed to do it with a strong love for Christ. You have been a huge blessing to have seen what a marriage should look like at this day in age. Thank you for sticking together in every aspect/stage of life that has come your way. I hope that our relationship can be just as strong as yours.

Thank you for including me in a part of the family at the beginning stages. You may not have noticed but in every event that you included me in (yes even in the dating stage) made me appreciate you even more. You were willing to take someone in who you hardly knew just to get to know them. You willingly took the time to get to know your one day daughter-in-law and I am so thankful for the time that we have spent together and the memories that we will make in the future.

Thank you for raising my husband to know what it's like to value the one that he loves. (Yes, he gets that from the love that you have given him.) In today's society, so many men don't know how to treat

Thank you for being a Proverbs 31 woman. Seriously. God has been working in your life since He brought you into the world many years ago and He is continually using you. Thank you for being a role model that so many women like me need.

Thank you for instilling family values in the talks that we have. However your son and I decide to raise our kids, it's because not only my parents but also you and dad have trained us properly. You have showed both of us that Christ comes first and family comes second. Thank you for all of the life lessons that you have taught my husband. Thank you for showing him the willingness to serve his family as well as his wife.

Thank for giving away the son that you cherish. I hope to give just a piece of that back.

Love, Your Future Daughter-in-law