The people that surround us in Blended Families really are the icing on the cake in the good times, and the glue that holds us together in the bad.

Grief and loss is a common occurrence for families whose lives play out far different to how they originally planned – and I’m sure this can be said for all Blended and Step-Families.

In the best of times children are there to share in special moments, sometimes they are just days away, but in the devastating times they are absent. Sadly absent children scar the broken hearts of so many parents.

I recall my days with 50/50 care, and the depression that would set in after consecutive days without my kids in my home, that would remain until their return. We, my husband and I, would know it was coming, we would prepare for my decline in energy and mood on a Sunday evening, moving into my coccon mode.

But for many parents it’s not a 2-5 day stretch, it is weeks, months and even years or a lifetime. A loss and a grief that is devastating.

But truly it is the people around those parents who keep them going. Their family, extended family, their oldest friends and their newest mates. It’s the friend available for a last minute lunch or a pint between mates; it’s the brother who phones to check in and then calls past to double check; it’s the kids at home who give love and space at the same time; it’s the neighbours who check in; and the workmates who share kindness. These are the people, this is the glue that holds you together in the difficult times.

And so to, are these the people in the good times. Who celebrate, who laugh, who share, who rejoice – these people are the icing on every cake!

Thank God for the Abundance of Friends!

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