Author Tina Ann Forkner, mom of a blended family and a Wyoming writer, is my guest today and her subject is “Stormy Weather.” Here’s Tina Ann:

“When the woman at the DMV showed me my new driver’s license photo, there was no question. Even though my birthday said only four years had passed, I had aged.

I thought about it as I drove home, unable to reconcile my old driver’s license photo with the new one. My hair had been longer four years ago and I admit I had been thinner, but there was something more that made me look older now. I just could not put my finger on what had caused such a drastic change in my appearance.

The former me grinning ear to ear in that four year old photo was now married with a wonderful blended family. It was more than I had ever hoped for after living a stormy life as a single mom with my young daughter. After my husband came along life had gotten decidedly better, and we were even still married after four years. The statistics said it shouldn’t have lasted a year. So, I wondered, if life is so good how come I look so much older? I should look better!

As I pondered how many wonderful things had happened to me in four years, realization slowly dawned. My life really was wonderful, but if I wanted to be truly honest with myself, it had taken a lot more work than I could have imagined when I was at the DMV having my husband’s last name put on my license. The truth was that being a single mom was difficult, but being a step-mom and in a blended family was, at times, more work than I ever imagined.

So much for dreams of newlywed bliss. It was a good thing my husband and I had taken a short honeymoon because for the next few years we were so busy easing the transition for our children that we didn’t always have time for anything else. Blending a family is not like making a milkshake. Things don’t always come out as smooth as we would hope. As much as we tried to do things right, our milkshake was always splattering all over the place. Don’t get me wrong. We were in love, but being a ready-made family took a ton of work, dedication, and heart.

I was primping in front of the mirror later that night when I shared the story about my trip to the DMV with my husband. He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the edges in the way I had grown to love, and said, “But you still look good.” That’s when I noticed he had changed too. He didn’t look older as much as he just looked wiser, more dependable, and weathered.

I looked in the mirror and studied my own more weathered self, understanding that while we were busy weathering the storms of blending a family, we hadn’t noticed the changes occurring on the outside. We hadn’t noticed the changes on the inside either, I realized, and all at once, my new driver’s license photo didn’t matter anymore.

Tina Ann Forkner writes contemporary fiction that challenges and inspires. She is the author of Ruby Among Us and Rose House, which recently released from Waterbrook Press/Random House and is a freelance writer for the popular gospel music publication, Homecoming magazine. She grew up in Oklahoma and graduated with honors from CSU Sacramento before settling in Wyoming. She lives with her husband, their three bright children and their dog. Tina stays busy serving on the Laramie County Library Foundation Board of Directors and enjoys speaking to women’s groups and book clubs about themes related to her novels.”

Thanks, Tina Ann. If you want to find out more about Tina Ann, visit her website. http://tinaannforkner.wordpress.com/ And when I visited her site, I found that she is interested in moms, she included this site http://www.5minutesformom.com/ It looks like a fun and interesting site too.

I want to thank Tina Ann for sharing her story with us today–Lyn