HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-02-26, Page 15THE CITIZEN. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2009. PAGE 15.
“Love is lovelier the second time
around
Just as wonderful, with both feet
on the ground
It’s that second time you hear your
love song sung
Makes you think perhaps that love,
like youth, is wasted on the young.”
Finding love again may have had
Sinatra singing its praises, but
embarking on a return trip down the
aisle can be tricky, particularly when
it comes to blending families.
Shelley and Murray Keffer knew
they wanted to share their life. But
they were also wise enough to
recognize that the decision they
made for themselves was going toimpact the lives of several others.
Shelley, mother of Brittany, 13;
Aaron, 11; Matthew, 10 and Tyler,
eight, met the father of Paige, 17 and
Lucas, 15, when he coached one of
her children’s ball teams in 2004.
They moved in together in the
summer of 2007 and Murray
proposed Christmas of that year.
From the beginning, Shelley said,
they tried to consider their children’s
feelings in every decision. “We
realized blending families is
delicate. We didn’t just want to jump
without making sure things would
work for all of us. Before we moved
in here, we would come up on
weekends and see how things
went.”
Even the proposal was a family
affair. “He asked my dad if he could
have my hand, then proposed on
Christmas Day with all of the family
there. He had asked the kids ahead of
time and they were more than
ecstatic about it. So were both of us.”
The wedding was going to be an
intimate gathering with about 90
relatives and close friends in
attendance. The children were
involved in the wedding plans as
much as possible and were very
much part of the Sept. 20 event. “All
the children had input into the
details. The girls and I as a team
worked on decorating. There were
things they had questions about and
we asked their opinion on others.”
“But no matter what we did we
tried to make it fun.”
The girls, who selected their
dresses, walked down the aisle as
bridesmaids. The two younger boys
walked Shelley’s mom down the
aisle, while the two older boys lit the
unity candles.
They all stood at the front of the
church with their parents and
Shelley and Murray promised to
love and cherish them as well as
each other. “The kids made promises
back to us. It was touching.”
The important thing for both
Murray and her was that the children
be incorporated into the cermony as
much as they could.
“The kids enjoyed the day as much
as we did.”
“Family is important to us and we
have always done things together as
a family. But Murray and I each
spend time individually with thekids, whether it’s canning with
Brittany or baking with Paige.”
Keeping communication open has
been key to how well the familyseems to have melded. “We let them
know that they can talk to us and
they all get along really well.”
Easing the transition for kids the second time around
The perfect blend
Shelley and Murray Keffer (top) involved their children in
the wedding as much as possible. The big day was as
much a celebration for them as it was for their parents.
Clockwise from bottom left: Brittany, Lucas, Aaron,
Matthew, Paige and Tyler. (Photo submitted)
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