I grew up on a blueberry farm in an old, battered house; floors that creaked with every step, cabinet doors that never quite shut, and walls that leaned just slightly like they were tired too. In the summer, the windows fogged with heat and the kitchen smelled like toast, sometimes like the smoke of a wood-stove. I used to think it was just a place we lived, but now I see it mirrored our life inside. It was loud and imperfect, a little messy, full of people trying their best and sometimes missing the mark. We worked hard. We lived simply. We did not always have what we needed, but we had each other and rows of blueberries that stained our fingers and filled our summers. Some days that house held laughter, birthday candles, and blueberry pie. Other days, it held silence and slammed doors. It was a place of both contradiction and complexity so was our family.

Shauna writes, “I’ve always thought of myself as an old-house person, a person who appreciates character over perfection, who likes the bumps and bruises of an old home” (Niequist, 2024, p. 17). That’s how I feel about family too. Or at least, how I want to feel. My family, like my childhood house, carried stories in the walls. Some good, some hard. Some still healing. There were rooms that need repair, doors that did not open all the way, and closets where we kept things that are hard to name.
Shauna writes, “I feel like every single part of my life has bumps and bruises and broken pieces” (p. 18). I do too. When I think about family, what I came from and what I am building, I hear Harry Styles singing, “You don’t have to be sorry for leaving and growing up” from Matilda. That line is a balm. It reminds me that healing sometimes means stepping outside the story you were handed so you can write something softer, something kinder. For yourself. For your kids. Maybe even for the people who hurt you.

I imagine God placing his hand on the cracked floorboards of my story and whispering, “You were broken down and strange yesterday, and you still are today, and the only one freaked out about it is you” (Niequist, 2024, p. 18). And still, he stays. So today I am practicing peace. Not because it is tidy, but because it is sacred. I am learning that worn does not mean worthless. That love can live in squeaky floors and long silences. That family can be both bruised and beautiful. And I am asking you too: What messy parts of your life are you making peace with?

Let’s be the kind of people who stay, even when the house leans a little.
Even when we do too. And maybe we start with something small and sweet, like pie.

🫐 My Childhood’s Blueberry Pie

What You Will Need:

Pastry

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup shortening
• 4 to 6 tablespoons cold water

Filling

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 cups fresh blueberries
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

What You Will Need To Do:

Step 1
In a medium bowl, mix 2 cups all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon salt. Cut in 2/3 cup shortening using a pastry blender, or by pulling 2 knives through the mixture in opposite directions, until the particles are the size of small peas. Sprinkle in cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time (up to 6 tablespoons), tossing with a fork until the dough is moistened and begins to come together. Add an extra teaspoon or two of water if needed. The dough should almost clean the side of the bowl.

Step 2
Gather the pastry into a ball. Divide in half and shape into 2 flattened rounds on a lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 45 minutes, or until the dough is firm and cold but still pliable.

Grandma Nameniuk’s Tip: Cold dough makes flaky crust. Let it rest and don’t skip the chill even if you’re in a hurry.

Step 3
Preheat oven to 425°F. On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll one round of dough into a circle about 2 inches larger than your upside-down 9-inch pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths and place it into the pie plate. Unfold and gently ease into place, pressing firmly against the bottom and sides.

Step 4
In a large bowl, mix 3/4 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup flour. Stir in 6 cups fresh blueberries and gently toss to coat. Spoon the blueberry mixture into the pastry-lined pie plate and sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over the top. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon lemon juice.

Step 5
Roll out the second round of dough and place it over the filling. Cut a few small slits in the top crust for steam to escape. Seal the edges with a fork. Cover the crust edge with 2- to 3-inch strips of foil to prevent over-browning.

Step 6
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, removing foil for the last 15 minutes of baking. The crust should be golden brown, and the juices should bubble through the slits in the top crust. Let the pie cool on a cooling rack for at least 2 hours before serving to allow the filling to set.

Let it cool on the windowsill. Let it be imperfect. Let it be enough.

Gracefully yours,

Help keep the words flowing and the stories brewing.
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Reference
Niequist, S. (2024). Celebrate Every Day. Zondervan.
Styles, H. (2022). Matilda. On Harry’s House [Album]. Columbia Records.