Fruitful Thought

What does it really take to build a bond when becoming a family doesn’t automatically mean feeling like one? When I think about the word   blended   in the context of family, I realize that blended doesn’t mean everything blends perfectly. It means different people, different personalities, different experiences, different expectations, and sometimes different homes coming together and learning how to become a family. And somewhere along that journey, I learned that building the bond takes much more than love. It takes   patience, grace, communication, understanding, forgiveness, and a willingness to keep showing up. My journey has taught me lessons I didn’t necessarily expect to learn. Some came through beautiful moments. Others came through difficult seasons and conversations I wish had never been necessary. But each experience taught me something about family—and, perhaps more importantly, something about myself. Lesson #1: Building a Bond Takes Time I learned that you...

  What happens when the family you dreamed of looks different? How do you continue showing up for your children when your own heart is hurting? Most of us have a vision of what we believe our family will look like. Maybe it was a high school sweetheart, or you thought you had found “the one.” You fall in love, get married, have children, and begin building what you believe will be your happily-ever-after. But sometimes, the relationship doesn't work. The fairytale you imagined becomes a very different story. What once felt like the beginning of forever becomes the end of a marriage. Before long, both parents may move forward with their lives—entering new relationships, remarrying, and perhaps even having more children. And in the middle of all those changes are the children. They still need their parents. They still want their parents. They still need to know that they are loved, valued, and not forgotten. But what happens when the parent who is supposed to show up is also hurting?...