Blended

This past week end was a really good week end. We went to Austin for my sister in law's baby shower. Kate and I play this game about people we have seen that day or people we are about to see. She will say a name and then I will say "And..." and then she will fill in the next name. I was smiling ear to ear as we ticked off the people that we would see. Mimi (my mom), Bear (my Dad), Honey (Robin), Brig (bro) Burke (bro) Caden (nephew) Tabor (nephew) Kelly (sis in law) Stacey (sis in law). My oldest brother and his brood were not able to make it but there was something about this week end that was very special to me. I noticed a shift in our family. A good one.
My parents have been divorced for 8 years this December. Divorce stinks. I always say that and I don't mean to make light of it. I don't care if you are 5 or 35 it just sucks. For a long time my family has had this sort of awkwardness about it. Only seeing my Dad with out my Mom and vice versa is just plain weird when you have been used to seeing them together for almost 30 years. But last Saturday night it was different. We all met at Dave and Busters after the shower for dinner. We all sat down together at a huge table and talked and laughed and had a great time. My mom, my dad and his wife Robin and all of the kids and grand kids. Besides my brother Benjy and his family who were unable to be there, we were all actually together. I looked around and had this feeling of contentment that I hadn't had in a long time about our family. Don't misunderstand, it was never that contentious. My parents rarely played games in their divorce. Never tried to pit us against either one. They always made it easy on all of us. My Mom has been especially graceful about this. I realized just how graceful on Saturday night. There she sat talking to Robin, who is an extremely kind and gracious lady herself. They shared a dinner and played cards together. Something about that just struck me as being so kind of both of them. They have never had a cross word between them but I think it's fair to say there has been awkwardness. But Saturday night it was better. In a divorce the parents take the control no matter how old the kids are. They can choose to make things easier for the kids or they can choose to be selfish by constantly bickering. I'm so blessed that my parents took the high road. Last Saturday I sat back in my chair and thought, so this is a blended family. This is our family's future. This is what my kids have to look forward to as they grow up. And then I thanked God for making this possible. For seeing us all through on this journey. For loving us all through our anger, tears, guilt, blame, hurt, and sadness. For seeing us all through to the other side so that we could have a night like last Saturday night.