Fruitful Thought

  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?...