"You don't divorce kids!"

My parents divorced when I was 8 years old. Two years later my Dad married my Step-Mom. Five years later they divorced. That was 14 years ago, yet I still call Leslie, my step-mom and she still tells people she has a 29 year old daughter. (She likes the shock value. She's only 40.) When people have questioned why we have remained close (the fact that she is my sister's mother aside) she has told them, "You don't divorce kids!" To me, when my Dad has been in one of his frequent jerk modes, she has always said, "I'll be your Dad."

Today I was talking to my sister, Elizabeth, on the phone. Her "Pap" Greg, Leslie's Father, recently had a heart attack. He didn't even know he was having a heart attack until he went to an already scheduled Dr. appointment. Soon after came kidney failure and a stroke. He is currently in a continuous care facility. Elizabeth was telling me that she and Leslie went to visit him today. He can't talk, and today was apparently incoherent. However she was telling me about a bulletin board that is in his room covered with pictures of his family from over the years. Included amongst the faces (he has six children, plus step children and I have no idea how many grandkids) were pictures of me. Now I've only seen him probably twice over the last 10 years, and though I realize he wasn't in a state of mind to pick the pictures himself, I teared up when she told me. Obviously there was some method to the madness of the pictures picked. "You don't divorce kids!"

Even though I haven't stayed close to him since my Dad and Leslie divorced, he was once my "Pap" too. When he passes away I know I will cry. Before he was my "Pap" he was a friend of both sets of Grandparents. They all used to be a part of a prayer group that met weekly. He even asked my Mom on a date once. She declined stating it was just too weird since his daughter had married my Dad.

I think the worst part about getting older is watching people who used to be so strong become frail. Last time I saw Greg I was shocked by just how much he had aged. It's all part of the circle of life... but I still don't like it!

On a side note... I have an "unspoken" request for my family. I can't go into the details. Just ask God to show you how to pray. I believe He will be faithful to do so!