Second Chance In Love

Hi,
Today is a special day. It's our 15th Anniversary! Wow! We both are a little stunned at how fast time passed. Our combined family is grown now and we have four grandchildren, all under four!

When I wrote A Healing Heart, I didn't necessarily have second chance at love as a theme. I focused on workaholism and trust issues. But when a reader mentioned it, "So many "love stories" seem to be written about first time love--A Healing Heart captures the beauty of a second chance for love when God is in control."  (click the link for the full review) I did the hand slap on my forehead.

Of course!  It made perfect sense because God blessed me, a single mom of four, with a second chance at love.

Breidenbach Family Wedding Photo. Yep, we combined into a family of eight!

With all these personalities, our household has been very energetic and interesting from the start! Sibling rivalry, settling into comfortable family positions, and learning to understand people from different backgrounds were just some of our challenges. (My daughter wanted to sit on my lap too. I didn't think about that when I wore an entirely pearl covered dress. I still love this picture! It's so, well, us.)

Mara Keegan in A Healing Heart has three teens. When Mike and I married, three of our children were already teens. They ranged from six to fourteen. Second chance love with children was something I knew firsthand and could write about. Kids and a dating relationship? Let me tell you, it's a challenge. Especially with the numbers we juggled. But a challenge I'm glad we chose to take on even though there's a lot more than two in the relationship!

Fifteen years. Wow! Now we stay connected with a Sunday night family dinners. Mike and I really enjoy the empy-nester phase. (Shh, don't tell all the kids.) We've often looked at one another and smiled at the stunning quiet around us. And then someone shows up with a baby to watch or several kids stop in with various dogs and we're right back in the familiar menagerie.

But the one thing I love most is that we took the second chance at love. It's been exponentially multiplied by more than two ever since.

Is there a second chance in love? I think so.

Do you know anyone with a successful second chance marriage?
What do you think helps them succeed?