When remarriage happens after the death of a spouse, the stepcouple faces unique and hard-to-navigate circumstances related to grief and leftover feelings from those experiences. Ron Deal talks with Bill and Evelyn Thompson, who both lost their spouses prior to remarriage, on how to blend a stepfamily after death and what they wish they'd done differently in their early years of dating and remarriage.

Show Notes and Resources

Bill and Evelyn will be speaking at this year's Summit on Stepfamily Ministry! Learn more.
Listen to Bill and Evelyn on FamilyLife Today.
Learn more about the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry.
You can support the FamilyLife Blended podcast

 	Please leave us a message at 407-826-2606! Or send us an email

When remarriage happens after the death of a spouse, the stepcouple faces unique and hard-to-navigate circumstances related to grief and leftover feelings from those experiences. Ron Deal talks with Bill and Evelyn Thompson, who both lost their spouses prior to remarriage, on how to blend a stepfamily after death and what they wish they'd done differently in their early years of dating and remarriage. 
Show Notes and Resources
 	<a href="https://www.summitonstepfamilies.com/">Bill and Evelyn will be speaking at this year's Summit on Stepfamily Ministry! Learn more.</a> 
 	<a href="https://www.familylife.com/podcast/guest/bill-and-evelyn-thompson/">Listen to Bill and Evelyn on FamilyLife Today.</a> 
 	<a href="https://www.summitonstepfamilies.com/">Learn more about the Summit on Stepfamily Ministry.</a> 
 	<a href="https://donate.familylife.com/blended/?cru_source=D000BLENDGandcru_medium=DesktopHeaderNavandcru_campaign=Blended">You can support the FamilyLife Blended podcast</a> 
 	Please leave us a message at 407-826-2606! Or <a href="mailto:blendedquestions@familylife.com">send us an email</a>

FamilyLife Blended® provides timeless wisdom and practical help and hope for blended families and those who love them. Join Ron L. Deal, LMFT, LPC as he and his guests discuss a wide variety of marriage, family, and relationship topics related to blended families.

Timeless wisdom and practical help and hope for blended families with Ron Deal, LMFT, LPC.

FamilyLife Blended® Podcast

When remarriage happens after the death of a spouse, the stepcouple faces unique and hard-to-navigate circumstances related to grief and leftover feelings from those experiences. Ron Deal talks with Bill and Evelyn Thompson, who both lost their spouses pr...

85: Terrible Loss, Unexpected Love

Introduction

Ron Introduces Vaneetha Risner

Grief Community and Triggers

Boundaries After Divorce

Forgiveness Without Reconciliation

 Co-Parenting and Healing Forward

https://fl-podcasts.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/FLBP/pdf/FLBp2026-03-09.pdf

https://fl-podcasts.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/FLBP/docs/FLBp20260309_S08_E185.docx

Vaneetha Risner knows the raw grief of unwanted divorce and betrayal. She gets church shame, lost identity, lingering triggers. Yet God has turned lament into deeper trust. This was never the plan, but it has forged faith. And it offers hope for yours.

Show Notes and Resources
Register for the live Blended & Blessed event in Oklahoma City 
Listen to episode 130: Coping With Traumatic Events
Learn about Vaneetha and get a copy of her book, This Was Never the Plan: Walking with God Through the Heartache of Divorce 
Help us reach more families around the world with a gift of support 

Vaneetha Risner knows the raw grief of unwanted divorce and betrayal. She gets church shame, lost identity, lingering triggers. Yet God has turned lament into deeper trust. This was never the plan, but it has forged faith. And it offers hope for yours.
Show Notes and Resources
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.blendedandblessed.com/">Register for the live Blended &amp; Blessed event in Oklahoma City&nbsp;</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.familylife.com/podcast/familylife-blended-podcast/130-coping-with-traumatic-events/">Listen to episode 130: Coping With Traumatic Events</a></li>
<li>Learn about Vaneetha and get a copy of her book, <a href="https://www.vaneetha.com/">This Was Never the Plan: Walking with God Through the Heartache of Divorce&nbsp;</a></li>
<li><a href="https://donate.familylife.com/blended/?cru_source=D000BLENDG&amp;cru_medium=DesktopHeaderNav&amp;cru_campaign=Blended">Help us reach more families around the world with a gift of support&nbsp;</a></li>
</ul>

Vaneetha Risner knows the raw grief of unwanted divorce and betrayal. She gets church shame, lost identity, lingering triggers. Yet God has turned lament into deeper trust. This was never the plan, but it has forged faith. And it offers hope for yours.

185: This Was Never the Plan: Walking with God through the Heartache of Divorce

When did “family time” become everyone scrolling in separate corners? In this eye-opening episode, Ron Deal and author Arlene Pellicane unpack how to manage screentime—helping parents and grandparents raise screen-wise kids who still look up, laugh, and live offline. Discover why boredom builds brilliance, how to delay devices with grace, and how real connection always outshines the algorithm.

Show Notes and Resources
Reserve your Love Like You Mean It cabin!
Look for a seminar or stepfamily small group in your area
Learn about Arlene and order her book, Screen Kids ArlenePellicane.com
Send a tax-deductible gift
Join us online for Blended & Blessed for FREE!
Watch the film, Screen Kids: In Their Own Words

When did &ldquo;family time&rdquo; become everyone scrolling in separate corners? In this eye-opening episode, Ron Deal and author Arlene Pellicane unpack how to manage screentime&mdash;helping parents and grandparents raise screen-wise kids who still look up, laugh, and live offline. Discover why boredom builds brilliance, how to delay devices with grace, and how real connection always outshines the algorithm.
Show Notes and Resources
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.lovelikeyoumeanitcruise.com/">Reserve your Love Like You Mean It cabin!</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.familylife.com/familylifeblended/find-an-event/#blendedmap">Look for a seminar or stepfamily small group in your area</a></li>
<li>Learn about Arlene and order her book, Screen Kids <a href="https://arlenepellicane.com/">ArlenePellicane.com</a></li>
<li><a href="https://donate.familylife.com/blended/?cru_source=D000BLENDG&amp;cru_medium=DesktopHeaderNav&amp;cru_campaign=Blended">Send a tax-deductible gift</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.blendedandblessed.com/">Join us online for Blended &amp; Blessed for FREE!</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.happyhomeuniversity.com/film">Watch the film, Screen Kids: In Their Own Words</a></li>
<li></li>
</ul>

When did “family time” become everyone scrolling in the same room? Ron Deal and Arlene Pellicane reveal how to manage screentime and raise screen-wise kids who look up, laugh, and live offline. Real connection still beats the algorithm every time.

184: Parenting & Grandparenting kids about tech, phones, and screens

Ron Introduces Justin and Kelly Walker

Challenges and Triumphs in Blended Families

Navigating Grief in Blended Families

Unique Challenges of Widowhood vs. Divorce

Building New Traditions and Moving Forward

https://fl-podcasts.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/FLBP/pdf/FLBp2026-02-09.pdf

https://fl-podcasts.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/FLBP/docs/FLBp20260209_S08_E183.docx

Grief lingers, yet love insists on living. Podcasters Justin and Kelly Walker navigate a blended family of 9 amid grief triggers and daily chaos. Hallway tributes, fire-pit conversations, and tender routines show how honoring the past fosters resilience, teaches empathy, and shapes a family that holds loss and new beginnings in a single heartbeat.

Show Notes and Resources
Host Blended & Blessed for FREE
Get a copy of The Mindful Marriage: Create Your Best Relationship Through Understanding and Managing Yourself 
The Happy Chaos Podcast
Send in a donation
Search Ron's upcoming events

Grief lingers, yet love insists on living. Podcasters Justin and Kelly Walker navigate a blended family of 9 amid grief triggers and daily chaos. Hallway tributes, fire-pit conversations, and tender routines show how honoring the past fosters resilience, teaches empathy, and shapes a family that holds loss and new beginnings in a single heartbeat.
Show Notes and Resources
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.blendedandblessed.com/">Host Blended &amp; Blessed for FREE</a></li>
<li>Get a copy of <a href="https://shop.familylife.com/product/the-mindful-marriage-create-your-best-relationship-through-understanding-and-managing-yourself/">The Mindful Marriage: Create Your Best Relationship Through Understanding and Managing Yourself&nbsp;</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/@HappyChaospodcast">The Happy Chaos Podcast</a></li>
<li><a href="https://donate.familylife.com/blended/?cru_source=D000BLENDG&amp;cru_medium=DesktopHeaderNav&amp;cru_campaign=Blended">Send in a donation</a></li>
<li><a href="https://smartstepfamilies.com/events/find-an-event">Search Ron's upcoming events</a></li>
</ul>

Through "memory lane," fire-pit talks, and birthday cakes at graves, podcasters Justin & Kelly Walker show how grief triggers, alongside laughter and love, collide in a blended family of nine.

85: Terrible Loss, Unexpected Love

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