A Requiem for my 20s

On Sunday I turned 30. For more a week now I have been working on this post, trying to sum up the decade of my life that has come to a close, but I just couldn’t seem to find sufficient words to express all the growth, pain, and richness.

Then yesterday a good friend shared this blog post and as I read I just kept nodding and saying (or shouting) yes! She summed up perfectly what was rolling around in my heart and mind and I could not have said it better.

I will say that in my 20s I did not experience the depth of suffering or disillusion that many of my peers have. I don’t know why that is, but it’s certainly not because I’m better, or have a stronger relationship with God, or anything like that. But I have still had setbacks, heartache, loss, struggle, anguish, and slap-in-the-face reality checks.

I could compile an almost endless list of the blessings I experienced in my 20s, though not all of them would have been considered blessings when I experienced them…and that is part of the point. Another part is that I have learned (or rather, am still learning) how to walk with those I love through suffering, and love them well in the midst of it. In seasons of strength I need to bear the burdens of those who are weak (Gal. 6:2).

One of my favorite paragraphs in Knapp’s post is this:

…I’m calling us to suffer well, to realize we are not in ultimate control, although many of us have vast amounts of freedom and choices. We need to learn to grieve our shattered dreams, to understand and absorb sadness, to sit with unanswered questions and learn about trusting God in this space without sugar-coating the truth. Although we may not be thinking about knee replacements right now, we need to know that we live in a broken world, and soon enough our bodies will break down too. We need to put to death our expectations of a perfect life, prepare for things to be hard, and realize the fall has affected every part of the world. We need to learn that there is nowhere we can escape from sin, because we can’t escape from ourselves. We need to learn to bring our regrets to Jesus, that he can meet us in our shame if we have wasted years of our lives.

That is certainly where I am now: putting to death my giddy 20-year-old self’s expectations of a perfect life, and trusting in the goodness of God while realizing that His definition of good is not always the same as mine. No, it is far, far better.

Some Weekday Meal Inspiration

I’m trying to keep my new commitment to blog weekly, but since last week’s post I have mulled over some ideas and started a few posts without finishing them. While waiting for those thoughts to finish percolating, I’ll leave you with links to a few of our family’s favorite recipes. I know Pinterest is out there for things like this, but sometimes (if you’re like me) you look at the pretty pictures on Pinterest and wonder whether those are just pretty pictures, or whether they’re actually delicious and worth making. The ones I’m sharing below have appeared on our table enough times to make my regular repertoire. It’s easy to get into a cooking rut, so I hope this helps some of you branch out. My goal is typically to try one new recipe each week, to keep things fresh, and to encourage my kids to try new things.

1. Baked Chicken Taquitos, by Very Culinary: I know there are a lot of recipes like this floating around, but this one is excellent. You can change up the ingredients inside, but they are also very good as-is. My kids love them.

2. Pretzel Dogs, by Brown Eyed Baker: These require some time and have more steps, but they are delicious and so fun! Her recipe for regular soft pretzels is my go-to as well. If you want to do more baking, especially with yeast, this is a step in the right direction. Adventurous and delicious, but not too difficult.

3. Three Envelope Pot Roast Sliders, by Six Sisters Stuff: The first time I made these was for my son’s first birthday party. Everyone raved about them and they have been a household standard since. They are a little salty for my taste (probably because of the “three envelopes” of salty seasoning) so I actually double the meat in the recipe by putting two roasts in the slow cooker, but only using one recipe of the sauce. Let it cook all day, low and slow, and it turns out great, especially with the provolone and Hawaiian rolls. 

4. Restaurant Style Salsa, by the Pioneer Woman: Ok, I know this isn’t a meal, but I make a lot of simple Tex-Mex (hello, Taco Tuesdays!) and this salsa is wonderful to keep around for those meals, or for snacking. It’s excellent and inexpensive to make. I don’t change the recipe one bit. And speaking of Tex-Mex, do you make your own taco seasoning? If not, you should. Yesterday my daughter helped me make a gigantic batch of this mixture. I multiplied the recipe by 32, which made enough for 50+ lbs. of taco meat. I spent about $10 on the seasonings for it (and have some left over), so it’s cost-effective, too.

5. Loaded Cauliflower & Chicken Casserole, by Rachel Schultz: I’ve only made this once so far, but my whole family devoured it, and it’s on my menu again for this week. It tastes like loaded baked potatoes, but is made with cauliflower. And cheese…lots of cheese. Can’t go wrong with cheese.

Those were the meals that came to mind today. I’ll post more favorites soon, but in the meantime, happy cooking!