Like so many other things in my life today, this was not on my Bingo card. Ever since I was a little girl my plan was to get married, have a bunch of kids, and live happily ever after. I never imagined that happily ever after would come after the dissolution of a 30-year marriage. But following a period of intense healing, it walked into Mylo Coffee Company, and my life, in the form of a man named David. While I was bringing up my four lovely children, he was busy with three girls of his own. And in that way God has of giving us more than we ever dreamed, I got the opportunity to become a bonus mom.

Sydney, his oldest daughter, is the same age as my Adelaide, which makes her a sophomore in college. The first time I met her she was cooking dinner for David, her sisters, and me at their house. She was gracious, sweet, and funny. Aiming to please, which made me feel honored. Sydney also has a good measure of sass. She fits Helena's description of her friend Hermia in "A Midsummer Night's Dream": "Though she be but little, she is fierce!" One of my favorite pictures of David is on the day she was born and he's holding his first baby, beaming, his heart swelled like it is about to explode.

Emery is daughter No. 2. The first time I saw her, at that same dinner, I had to catch my breath because she seems such a copy of her father. Turns out this is the prevailing opinion among family members. Her eyes are green instead of brown, but big and........

© Arkansas Online