Jasmine's Place Issue No. 10 - March/April 2014 | Page 27

My prince came a few years after college graduation. What set him apart from the fantasy I heard growing up and claimed as my own was a couple things. He was ten years older. And he also was divorced with minor children. There wasn’t a story or Disney movie I could consult, a least not one where the step-mom scenario was a positive one. Couldn’t there be a happy blended family story? Our family is proof that there can be. Were going on 17 years of marriage. When we first met, his kids weren’t even teens. The week we started dating he learned they were moving to Wisconsin. We lived in New York State. That was my first challenge, and we were so new as a couple marriage wasn’t on my radar. But I put one thing into practice right from that first week that has seen us through all these years. Prayer. I believed God. I prayed (and still do) for my husband, his children, their mom, and every member of their family in Wisconsin. That was something God asked me to do, and I never made a big deal about it, nor did I guilt my husband into doing the same. I was emotionally separate enough that I could daily pray for their safety, unity, peace, health, and hunger for God in their lives. If I prayed bad things for their family, that would hurt the kids, and no one wins. I truly prayed for everyone to prosper. I prayed over my words and actions, as well as my husband’s. When God asked me to do something, I did, and I was intentional about obeying with no expectation of a blessing in return. I prayed over our times with the kids, and school events. I prayed over every child support check I sent. There wasn’t a story or Disney movie I could consult, a least not one where the stepmom scenario was a positive one. JASMINE'S PLACE 27 27