If Your Parents are Divorced, You Might Relate to this Post

After almost 6 years of being divorced, both of my parents got remarried this summer.

In July my Mom got remarried to Wayne.

They are a good match for each other and seem really happy together. I wish I had more pictures from their wedding but I was running the video camera and didn't take very many. But my sister-in-law took a whole bunch that I am excited to see. But here is Asher climbing all over the chairs before the ceremony.

Then just a week ago my Dad got remarried to Janie

whom we all really like and who makes my Dad giddy like a school boy and glow like a glo-worm.

Janie also has a little girl, Hannah, who is just about the spunkiest, cutest, and capable ten-year-old I've met.

Doesn't she have the most amazing blue eyes?

She is pretty cute and fits perfectly into a family where all the girls either have to have a name that starts with an "H" (Heather, Hilary) or be named Brittney (my littlest sister and sister-in-law).

(Wow, look at how much air my brother gets, I didn't do too bad myself!)

They had the most beautiful reception at Janie's sister's house.



Complete with flaming crepes... totally cool.



It was classy and romantic... it felt magical... like something from a movie.


(I was relieved when I saw this picture that you can't even tell I'm nursing Rose!)

I am genuinely incredibly happy for them both. I've been praying for years that they would both find someone to start over with. Both my parents are wonderful people and it really is a miracle and a huge blessing that they both found people to love again.

BUT

despite my being thrilled for them, it has been a hard transition for me. I think I was a little naive about how it would feel to have my parents get remarried. I was sure that because I am grown up, happily married with two little kids of my own and live hundreds of miles away from them that I wouldn't be emotionally involved. But it has been harder on me than I expected. It isn't that I don't like Janie, Hannah or Wayne, in fact I really love all three of them, but it is kind of hard to see your parents-- who for most your life were married to each other-- make vows to someone else.

I won't go into the specifics of why my parents got a divorce (that would fill a whole blog in and of itself) but it has been a hard 6 years with lots of twists, turns and ups and downs. My brother, sisters and I were just starting to get used to life how it was and had started to be at peace with our parents being divorced. Now our family life is all shook up... again. Not necessarily in a bad way, we really love Janie, Hannah and Wayne, but it is a change-- a big change-- and it is going to take some getting used to. We have to re-learn how to be a family and figure out how we all fit together.

Still, I know that having Janie, Hannah and Wayne in my family is an answer to my prayers. Over the last several years I've prayed so hard that my parents would find stability and happiness, and that my brother, sisters and I would stay close friends. I know that God has helped to make the best situation possible out of the crazy mess of my parents divorce. I also have faith that if He was able to take a hurt, broken and divided family and piece them back together once before, that He will have no trouble in taking a happy, loving, somewhat shaken up family and make it work. I know it is going to take time, and I'm sure there will be some tears shed (we are going to be putting two semi-teenage girls together in the same house), but I have faith that everything will work out for the best. And when it comes right down to it this new family arrangement just feels right ... even if it is kind of hard.