"When I entered the church sanctuary, I expected bright, beaming faces, joining me in the joy that those lonely years were now a distant memory. Instead, I was greeted with a host of red, puffy eyes. Tissues were everywhere as I passed each row. It felt more like a wake than a wedding."
As Sabrina McDonald walked down the aisle for the second time, there were tears of joy for the happy couple, but there were also tears of sadness. Sabrina’s wedding to Robbie was another reminder that two of their loved ones were missing.
After Sabrina’s first husband died in a tragic accident, remarriage wasn’t really on her radar. But when she met Robbie, himself a widower, she knew that the Lord had provided a godly man who could help raise her children. Sabrina and Robbie entered their marriage brimming with hope, but reality soon set in.
After more than a decade together, Sabrina and Robbie have learned that blending a family is never easy. Whether you are widowed, divorced, or married to someone who has been, Sabrina wants you to know that grieving is part of every blended family. And the healing process often takes longer than you expect.
With honesty and vulnerability, Sabrina reveals the mistakes she’s made and shares the lessons she’s learned about dealing with grief, family traditions, parenting kids from different ages and backgrounds, working together as a couple, and forming a new identity as a blended family.
Though the journey isn’t easy, A Home Built from Love and Loss is a beautiful reminder that it’s worth it.
Grieving is part of every blended family.Sabrina and her new husband were both widowed when their families blended, so grieving was expected. They recognized the losses suffered in their families would take time to heal. What they have since learned is that every blended family experiences grieving-whether you are widowed or divorced. And the process usually takes longer than expected.
Sabrina vulnerably shares her personal experiences and struggles, revealing her mistakes and fears that she had early on in her new marriage and with her new family. In
A Home Built from Love and Loss, you’ll learn to
- work through different parenting styles as a stepmother or stepfather;
- parent kids in different ages and stages of development (hormones, personalities, and power dynamics);
- compassionately address chaos and hurt feelings together and independently;
- deal with feelings of guilt;
- handle initial rejection from stepchildren;
- glean biblical wisdom on how to do life together with grace;
- connect better on an emotional level with your newly-formed family while keeping traditions that have grounded your family; and
- honor the bereaved or divorced spouse.
For anyone facing the challenges of blended families,
A Home Built from Love and Loss offers practical advice and spiritual guidance to find hope in the midst of grief.
