Wednesdays in the Word: Brokenhearted

 

The last few days have been hard for our community. A teenager was gravely injured in a car accident Saturday night, and though we did not know him, it’s clear he was beloved…everywhere, by everyone. (And the same seems to be true of his family.) Our church, Ryan’s work, really everyone in the community, has been impacted.

                We all prayed for a miracle here on earth, but the Lord called him Home. (Posts we saw from coaches and pastors shared his professed faith in Christ.)

                Ryan and I are sick to our stomachs and brokenhearted over this loss. We hurt for his family. We hurt for those we know and love who are forever marked by this. Forever changed. Forever scarred.

                I found my way to Psalm 147, which says, “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

                He’s got a county – and more – of wounded, broken hearts, and I believe He’s healing and mending. And I believe He is tending to each shattered soul.

                So if you think of our little corner of the world in the days to come, and you want to pray for this family who lost a son, and players who lost a teammate, and a girlfriend who lost her boyfriend, and students who lost a friend, we welcome you to do so.

                And if you have your own brokenness right now, I trust with you that the same God who has tended to my broken heart time and time again will tend to yours as well!               

Tuesday Tales: A Weekend with Our Buddy

 

This weekend was full in every single way! Earlier in October, our godson’s mom asked if he could stay with us the last weekend, and we said a tentative yes, explaining that my dad’s health was poor, and we didn’t know what our days would look like this month. She understood, but obviously when the last weekend rolled around, we were able to have him come to see us!

                We picked him up Friday night at Culvers…so we shared dinner with them before loading up his “pack pack” of clothes into our car.

                He was so excited to get to our house and sorely disappointed to learn it was too close to dark to head out for a boat ride.

                One other time when he visited recently, we cooked together, and he loved that, so we asked if he’d like to help us make bread. That was a winner! (Minus the volume of the grain mill. He wasn’t wild about that.)

                While the bread baked, he got busy building the biggest castle in the world and even counted all the blocks for me as he put them away at the end of playing.

                He borrowed my phone to take pictures.

                So. Many. Rounds. Of. Hi-Ho Cherry-O. When I was little Mom used to play board games with me, until I refused to be a good loser and she told me she wouldn’t play unless I could be a better sport. Apparently that’s a universal thing, because he and I had some gentle chats about congratulating other people when they win. (He did get better at that.)

                Though he normally is a great sleeper at our house, this was not our weekend. He was up for the day at 3 a.m. That was painful! I told him he still had to stay in bed, even if he didn’t want to sleep, and that wasn’t the most popular news I’d ever delivered.

                At long last (lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnng last) “morning time” came and he was able to inspect the bread he helped make. He was so excited to make his peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

                It was pretty gross outside, but Lexi was in desperate need of a proper walk, and we all felt a little stir crazy, so we suited up and headed out for a walk. Alas, halfway through, he declared he was too tired to continue, so Ryan and Lexi finished the walk and the two of us came back home.

                Long ago, I purchased some “1001 Things to Spot” books at a yard sale, and that paid off big time on this visit. He was content to count for a long time in the bug book. I was so happy to see him diving into a book like that.

                I asked if he would color a picture for my mom so we could take it to her on our way back to his house, and he was excited to do so. He also wanted to color a picture for his mom!

                He knew it was Halloween and that his mom planned to take him Trick or Treating, so by early afternoon, he was ready to go home, and this girl, who had been up since three in the morning, wasn’t in a place to argue! So we trekked back to his house, and even though he was NOT sleepy, he napped most of the way. (Jealous!!!)

                It felt a little bit like a gift that the next day was the time change and I got a little extra rest after a short night!

Menu Monday: Nourishing Body and Soul

 

                I had so much fun sharing a recipe with you last week that I thought I’d do it again this week. I have a funny story about this one, but I’ll tell you after I give you the recipe.

Sloppy Joe Bowls

1 Pound Ground Turkey
1 Bell Pepper, Diced
½ Onion, Diced
¾ Cup Organic or Low-Sugar Ketchup
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
1 Bag Frozen Sweet Potatoes
1 Bag Coleslaw Mix
½ Cup Avocado Mayo
1 Teaspoon Seasoned Salt
2 teaspoons White Vinegar
4 Dill Pickle Spears

Brown the ground turkey and add diced onion and bell pepper. Cook until vegetables are softened. Add ketchup, lime juice, chili powder, brown sugar, and seasoned salt, and simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, steam the bag of sweet potatoes. (Cut one minute from suggested cook time.) Also meanwhile, put coleslaw mix in a medium bowl ad add mayo, seasoned salt, and white vinegar. Cut dill pickle spears into small pieces. When ready to serve, put ¼ of the meat mixture, ¼ sweet potatoes, ¼ coleslaw mix, and ¼ dill pickles in bowls and enjoy.

                One of the things I love to do each day is pack Ryan’s lunch and write him a little love note. I work hard to make sure he has great lunches, but one day last week, I did not have time for proper. I threw in some leftovers along with the remainder of a full bag of chips (in said bag) and the remainder of a box of cookies (in said box). After lunch, he sent me this picture and said his work buddies had gotten the biggest kick out of his full containers of cookies and chips. Womp womp. Later in the week, I sent these sloppy joe bowl leftovers and told him to make sure he relayed the properly packed lunch. 😊

*The bulk of the sloppy joe recipe is my mom’s. I’ve made a few alterations, including adding the bell pepper, and I choose to use stevia brown sugar in place of regular. (You could also use honey.)

*I like the frozen sweet potatoes because they steam in five minutes and I don’t have to chop anything. That’s a win for me!

*The coleslaw recipe is one I found a couple of years ago, and I really like it. It’s not too drippy with dressing, and it’s fast and easy to make.

*We buy fresh dill pickles at Aldi and like their flavor. You could use any kind of pickle you prefer.

Sunday Scrapbook: Moments from the Week

 

A new month is here. And the time changed. That’s a whole lot for the first day of a new week, isn’t it? October was so long and hard, and I feel like I’m limping into a new month.

                How about we just look at the last week, ok??

                Last Sunday was my official return to duty, post-bereavement days. I gave the message at church, and that afternoon, Ryan and I took a bike ride! It was a PERFECT day outside. Just stunning.

                Lexi had a grooming appointment Monday, so I took advantage of the quiet house to sit outside to work! I would love to sit outside with her to work, but she takes personal offense to each person/car/animal that dares show its face toward our property, so it isn’t very relaxing to do this. So I enjoyed my day outside!

                We took Mom on a walk to enjoy some fall leaves. Well. I pushed her in a wheelchair, and Ryan was in charge of Lexi. We all had a great time and saw lots of colorful trees!

                I don’t know who left it, but someone blessed me with a Pastor Appreciation snack basket on my desk this week! That was so kind!

                Swiss Village hosted a trick-or-treating night for the community, so I went to sit with Mom to hand out candy. I ended up assisting her and another resident, and we all had the best time together. They had over 1000 people come through in less than 2 hours. (It was hot in there!!!)

                Friday was the official Halloween party for Swiss Village, so Ryan reprised his role as Mr. Clean and did a great job with his costume! Even Lexi approved.

                Friday night into yesterday, we had our godson over to stay. We did many things in an almost-24-hour period, including baking bread, playing games, building castles, reading books, watching cartoons, and going for walks! And now I need a NAP!

Saturday Suggestions: Inspirations for Your Weekend

 

                A quick reminder as we jump into this week’s suggestions, though unfortunately this one is not a suggestion. It’s happening. Time change weekend!! Remember that tomorrow morning or you might end up with an interesting church experience!

Since November begins tomorrow, you may not be thinking about planning bike outings – at least in the Midwest. But I am hanging onto this one for next year, because it looks so fun! A bike trail in Ohio that covers 78 miles – all paved!! And if biking isn’t your thing, maybe you’d rather do this tour of used bookstores in Michigan. (Doesn’t it look GLORIOUS??)

Oh how we need a good laugh now and then, don’t we? Leave it to the Babylon Bee to come through for us! (Should you happen to be unfamiliar with the Bee…it’s satire. Please read it as such!) Anyway. This one made me laugh out loud ALL the way through. Songnals for the win!

As you know, Ryan and I love thrifting, and we decorate our home with many such treasures and finds. It’s true that it can be quite tempting to just buy everything at the thrift store if it’s a good deal catches my eye, but that’s not practical. (And it sort of defeats the purpose of thrifting.) Andrea wrote a great post on how to be intentional about your home décor thrifting. If you need some guidance, check it out!

One of the very first messages I ever shared at our church was about the importance of hiding God’s Word in our hearts, because we never know when we might need to rely on Scripture and not have access to a Bible for one reason or another. I used the example of missionaries Martin and Gracia Burnham who were taken into captivity 25 years ago and had no access to a Bible except what they’d memorized. For a whole year, the only Bible they had was what they scribbled down on scrap paper. Elizabeth shares a similar story here that is worth the read and the good reminder!

This was a fun post Audrey created! She writes about how the same pieces of clothing can look very different if you accessorize differently! My only sadness in the post is that she did not actually model the four versions of the outfit. (She just did a vision board of each outfit with accessories.) But it makes me wonder how many more outfits I could create if I tried this!

For Dad’s final hours, I wanted to play piano hymns for him, and I landed on this playlist on YouTube. We played this for almost all of the last 48 hours, starting it over every time it cycled out. It’s a good list if you need some calming background music!

Friday Fun: October Randoms

 

At the end of 2025, Callie wrote this post as a structured roundup to the year. I loved it so much that I earmarked it to revisit at the end of THIS year, but I actually decided to use it as a springboard for a monthly recap. I have written posts with this theme each month so far this year, and I’m back again to share October’s.

Best Personal Adventure: I finished handwriting the book of Luke! I am on a quest to write all four Gospels by hand this year, so now I’m on to the last one! Luke was the longest book, so I feel like I was in it forever (because I was!). It was an accomplishment to cross that finish line!

Best Adventure Together: We started teaching an elective Sunday School class on marriage! Our church offers elective classes a handful of times each year, and this year Ryan suggested we teach one on marriage, so I wrote it, and we are teaching it together. Our first Sunday was supposed to be Dad’s birthday, but we ended up being with him that day, in his final hours, so we started a week later. We’ll continue this class through the end of November and are so excited about it!

Best Milestone: This one is easy! We celebrated the 14^th anniversary of our engagement! It is still one of my favorite days and is/was one of the easiest and best yeses I’ve ever said. We celebrated this year with a lunch at the burger restaurant I’d wanted to introduce Ryan to, and he loved it as much as I thought he would!

Best Faith Grower: Feeling upheld by the prayers and tangible kindnesses of God’s people taught me in new ways that God does the unexplainable. This is what we are focusing on in our Acts study this fall, and MAN. I am seeing it unfold in real time! I have no way to explain how I was able to minister, give Dad’s funeral message, or offer the message at our church two days later aside from the peace that passes understanding. And that was a faith boost for sure.

Best Lesson Learned: I think this one is really a lesson reminded…but PLAN AHEAD!!! I had worked really hard on Dad’s funeral service and obituary and picture file, and I was so glad I had done all of that because it made the days after his death less logistically stressful for me. I had also worked hard to write the curriculum for our elective class and two sermons, and I was so glad I had done THAT, so all I had to do was deliver them, not construct them, in the days after his passing.

Best Purchase:  These belts! I have had them on my wish list for several years but never made the purchase. I got them right before Dad’s visitation to wear one with my dress. (The thee-pack offers black, brown, and white.) Then I used it with my denim dress for family pictures and just love how well it accessorizes. Another thing I love is that when I add it, I make pocket-less dresses potential outfits for speaking at church. I have to wear a mic, so when I don’t have a pocket or a belt…that dress is out.

Best Habit Created: This month was about survival, not habit creation. Nothing new under the sun in our household this month.

Best New Recipe: The pot roast I shared on Sunday was my favorite thing I made this month. The food was good, but I think it was the nostalgia of eating a “fancy” Sunday lunch that took it up another notch!

Best Tradition: We had our annual pictures taken this month! We had the most perfect night for it, which is always a gamble, since we book our appointment so many months in advance. We learned that our beloved photographer is retiring, so we are sad about that, but we have so enjoyed all the many memories we’ve made along the way with her!

Best Little Luxury:  I mentioned a while back that we thought about getting faux mums for outside. Choosing the ones we wanted about undid us. We looked at dozens of versions online and could not find any that felt right. Then we saw some in Hobby Lobby that we liked (as far as the look) but we didn’t care for the color. Ryan looked at their website and found the color we wanted, so we decided to give them a try. We have loved them! They’re made for the outside, so we have great hope that the intensity of the color will last!

Best Date:  I loved our monthiversary date to the apple orchard. We had perfect weather, the food was good, the music was fun, and it was just good for us to get away for an evening. This was in the thick of my dad’s last days, and we didn’t get away too much! This was good for us.

Best Answer to Prayer: It may seem strange, but I celebrate that my Dad received total and complete healing in Heaven and is no longer struggling on this earth. The last month, especially, of his life, was so hard to watch every single day. The loss of strength and ability, the increased pain and weakness. I hated it for him. I knew he was ready to go and it was an answer to prayer that he completed his race here. Also answers to payer? He lived to the scheduled move with my mom…and he lived to his 94^th birthday…and I made it through officiating his funeral! So many answers in that one story.