I’m so excited to share this sweet (true) story by Sharon Odegaard with you today. Simply lovely! May it bless you.

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Last summer I remarried my first husband. He proposed with a bouquet of red roses after a picnic lunch on the beach. Now we’re reforging our lives, rekindling romance, relearning who we are after the years apart.

I love people’s reaction to our news. From our children to friends and coworkers, I’ve seen faces light up with joy. Even the county clerk who processed our marriage license couldn’t stop happily marveling. This restoration of love and family is a tangible reminder that much of the world may be out of control in some sense, but God’s still able to do miracles. As a piece of life that was out of whack clicks back into place for two everyday folks, people see that God gives gifts we don’t deserve and anyone can grab hold of his grace.

In the sun-drenched garden in my mother’s backyard, we celebrated our wedding with family and friends and included in the ceremony our take on this season of our lives:

“When the tables are brought out soon and you’re invited to share a meal, you’ll notice they will be decorated with flowers. And you’ll see that these God-made creations of beauty will be displayed in a variety of vases, some of them old, some dear because they are family heirlooms. The vases don’t match; and some aren’t perfect. You may notice a chip here or there.

We considered decorating with new, matched glass vases that would be symmetrical and just so, but these seemed to lack what could be pinpointed as warmth, character, history, distinction.

Instead, the vases you’ll see are a reflection of who we are – who all of us are — far from perfect. But we are willing to embrace imperfections, rely on grace, love the best way we can, and welcome each other into our lives. Living in our imperfect selves, we hope to make each other feel at home and comfortable.”


The theme of our remarriage can be summed up by 2 Corinthians 4:7: “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” His grace, his joy, life renewed – that’s what we all can claim every day.