bonus blessings

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old, he will not depart from it."
--Proverbs 22:6

Life as it stands today looks far different than it did a year ago. Women wear many hats in the course of a lifetime but I never imagined I'd don the hat of step-mom. My husband enjoys joint custody of his two kids from a previous marriage and consequently they dominate a big portion of my life. The biological bond may not exist and sometimes I'm stressed by the added responsibilities... but the love connection between us is intense.
About a week ago, my bonus daughter Delaney asked me not to introduce her as my step-daughter. She insisted, "I hate the word step! I promise not to call you my step-mom if you don't call me your step-daughter. I'm just your daughter. And you're my second mom. My Miko Mom." Her desire to remove barriers that would preclude us from truly being family moved my heart.
My bonus son is five-years-old and not nearly as verbal as his sister. But sometimes I get glimpses of his heart. One morning the kids woke up after spending the night on the floor of my bedroom. Max cannon-balled into my bed to give me a hug and shared with me what he'd like to do that day. I told him I had to do some job hunting and he asked, "Why do you have to work? You can just be a mom." I said, "Well, I'm just your step-mom. I need another job." He said, "You're not a step-mom. You're our Miko Mom!"
I love the kids. A couple of nights ago, Delaney heard her father and I fighting and it frightened her to tears. We prayed about it, apologized, and I laid in bed with her for a good 30 minutes before she dozed off. She said she was scared we'd divorce and she wouldn't see me again.
Aside from being with my husband, the most precious part of my evenings involve tucking Delaney into bed. We have a ritual. We share a funny story from our past, we talk about the Lord, things we're afraid of and things that happened during the day and what we need to pray for. We blow kisses to each other and retire for the evening.
Whether she knows it or not, she's really stepped up my relationship with the Lord. She has a powerful prayer life that chases away bad dreams and always has a question about heaven I'm not equipped to answer. I always remind her she's precious to the Lord and to me. She just is.