(Photo by Jenn Fortune Photography)
Tonight my six-year-old cried herself to sleep because Daddy wasn't home to kiss and hug her goodnight. She was referring to my current husband, Don-- technically her step-dad, though we don't use that term. He's spending an evening out with his friends, and won't be home until late. Both girls were sad he wouldn't come hug and kiss them before bed tonight, but Abbi was taking it so hard. I'd reminded them both that they would get to see him in the morning.
Though I felt sad for my child's distress, there was also a part of me that felt joy. You see, I didn't know that my daughters would ever have a living daddy to miss. Chris died, and who could love me after all I'd been through? Who would love my little girls as their own? The fact that my little girl was crying for a man she would (foreseeably) get to be with the next day was a refreshing thought. I figured Abbi and Aurora would spend their whole childhoods missing out on having a father present...
But let me say-- God has been gracious. He took our brokenness and gave us a reason to dance... As it says in Psalms 30:5b, "weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." We are all blessed beyond measure to have Don fathering these girls and loving me.
(Photo by Jenn Fortune Photography)