I remember the exact moment I loved the woman my dad married, when the grieving years for my mom had passed.
It was during brunch. The day after their wedding. All the kids had come over to join them for a meal. She had two and my dad had us three. The spring sunshine was still only gaining momentum and Pete and I had a flight booked back to the States later that afternoon. She seemed nice enough. And she was certainly good for him. But she was hardly family, impossible as it was to connect from an ocean away.
The food was very good. Hearty South African style farmhouse breakfast. Eggs and bacon, boerewors and steak. Toast, scones, butter and jam. Champagne and orange juice – standard brunch fare.
We were polite. We laughed and listened and felt pleased that we had survived the event.
The waiter was overly chatty. And out of the blue, he stopped – tray in hand- and said to my dad’s new wife, “Wow – but you sure have a lot of kids now, hey?” We all heard. I bit down on my jaw and looked away at the far blue sky and the mountain range. My tummy did an unhappy little flip. We were that kind of family now. Different. Odd. Uncomfortable.
But she? She didn’t miss a beat.
She grinned big and wide and relaxed and said, “Yes! Aren’t I so blessed?”
And I could feel myself sinking into the arms-spread-wide-welcome. And that was it. Family. Captured in a moment. The rest has been rich, real, relational history in the making.
***
{This post was inspired by my friend, Bianca, who is about to open her arms to two new beautiful kiddos}
LJ, your descriptions here remind me of my military family. It is amazing how people you or your husband aren’t related to can feel like flesh and blood so quickly. They are just easy to love. :)
I love that picture above. Just beautiful!
I remember the day I began to respect my step-dad tremendously… it was when I realized he had really high mercy giftings and was using them to help folks down in GA rebuild homes… I saw a completely different side of him when God opened that window up into my step-dad’s heart :)
To be told they’re a blessing…what a gift she gives her children!
You provide hope. Hope for happiness and peace and normalcy. Thank you for sharing your story, sweet thang’!
I owe you a cupcake :)
What a blessing. My husband’s little sister is a step-mom. She is fantastic and I have huge amounts of admiration for her and for the love she has for their kiddos.
She sounds wonderful Lisa-Jo. She has given you a great gift. I have witnessed the heartache of someone close to me when the step-mom made things very difficult for everyone. And you …. you are a treasure for her as well.
What a beautiful snapshot in time….I have struggled through loving my stepmom for more than 30 years…it wasn’t until we found out my dad had cancer and then later passed away that I was fully able to let go and just love her past my own hurt. Still learning how to do that…
She and your father sound like wonderful people. What a beautiful post to share with her!
She sounds like an amazing step-mother!
Someone I can learn from!!
What a fantastic memory!