Broken But Not Dead

I got up really early Thursday morning and prepared for an exciting day at a camp I had learned about a few weeks ago. The Executive Director and I connected so deeply in our heart to serve our community, bring hope to the hurting, and our passion for life. This camp’s mission is to serve children in foster care and group homes.  I hopped in the car really early, planning and hoping to make it before the first session with the camper began.  I knew the Lord had something very special planned for this day, but I didn’t know what it was.

I arrived near the end of breakfast and was greeted with big smiles and introductions from the Executive Director to other staff members and some campers. I watched the campers help clean up and begin to enter the worship center. Some were really excited to run in and dance to the introduction music. Others were dragging in so slowly, exhausted from an exciting week at camp. Camp where they were safe, seen, and free to be kids.

After the launch session for the morning the kids were excited to be off to their next locations. Girls went to crafts, boys went to the pool.  I got to help a bit with the crafts and had a chance to connect with those amazing young girls and hear their favorite stories from the week. It was a first for some to see a pool for the first time and to jump in! You would hear the giggles about the splashes. “I met new friends.” “I saw a horse for the first time.” “I liked the food.” The  majority favorite part of camp was the pool. 

Then it was the boys time to come in for crafts. They had all just been in the pool and were so full of life, crafts was not their top priority, but they got them done quickly. The pool was their favorite part of the days as well. I watched them wrestle with their counselors. It brought the biggest smile to my face. My boys, nephews, and cousins all wrestle with my husband, the uncles and other cousins often. The boys have never had those opportunities within a safe, loving environment. They were all smiling, laughing, and loved being played with. Their counselors, most athletes, were able to engage with these boys, connect with them in a manner where they were free to be kids. Be boys free to run, play, rough house a bit and not be in survival mode or defense mode. Note-for anyone who raises an eyebrow of concern. It was not an all out free for all total chaos. It was freedom with some flexible boundaries and perfect for those boys.

Chris, the camp Executive Director, had introduced me to his dear friend Stephethen Holland via email already. He had shared with me a bit of his story and passion for speaking in the Prolife circuit. I already felt connected before we even met. What a privilege and honor to meet Stephethen, his family and be able to share our stories of life, vision, passion, purpose with one another. We ended up talking for 4 hours and immediately became friends. I could tell you some of his amazing stories, but it’s better for you to see them and experience them for yourself. Stephenthen’s non-profit is called Broken But Not Dead. Here’s a link to the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BrokenNotDeadMinistries. Seriously take about 30 minutes today to go in and listen to some of the stories of resilience, brokenness, hope, and restoration. Once you have finished, grab some tissues and watch this incredible story of how he met and reunited with his birth mother. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar2iq6hjmNA

As I drove home I tried to process everything I had experienced. I got home and watched my son play in our pool with friends. I knew that because his birth mother chose adoption he was spared from the life that many of those children are currently living in. He’s safe and loved on a daily basis in his forever family. The passion the God has called me to in this season is to speak for life, work with families in crisis, and be an advocate for adoption, core value. We’ve all been through those broken not dead moments of life where we wonder how our circumstances can be for our good. I call them beauty from ashes.  Through the times of suffering I have learned forgiveness, grit, resilience, boundaries, beauty, how to dance in the rain, how to connect with others so deeply in areas because you can only understand them when you’ve been there. All the way, Jesus has always been by my side writing a story and painting a picture so others can see his beauty through me and in spite of me. What are some of your broken but not dead/beauty from ashes moments? How have they given you passion and purpose in your life? Are there areas that you need to seek support for, give forgiveness, or draw some boundaries? I’m here for you!

Do you have a favorite fruit of the season?

Mine is a strawberry. When I was six years old my Grandma Betty took me strawberry picking for the very first time. She taught me how important it was to move around the leaves gently, so I could see all the berries under the leaves, not just the ones that stuck out and were easy to see.

Once we washed the berries, she would bring out her white sugar bowl and let me dip the berry right in the sugar bowl. At 45 I still love to do that with her. My kids know that they can dip their berries in Grandma’s sugar bowl. I will carry on that tradition to my grandbabies.

Grandma’s strawberry jam and grape jelly was our treat for hot homemade biscuits straight out of the oven. She would grab them while they were hot, toss a thick slab of butter in there to melt while she went to the fridge to grab the jam and jelly. My grandmother is the one who taught me how to make strawberry jam. It was 2001, Chris and I were stationed in Corpus Christi, TX and I flew home during strawberry season just to pick strawberries with her and take my son for the first time. That was the year she taught me to make strawberry jam. She taught me how to mash them where there were still chunky bits throughout, sweeten it just enough so it was sweet as the ripest berry (not overly sugary sweet), cook it until it was thick enough to mound on the biscuit just right, and then water bath it so we could have enough for all year. I spent more money on shipping the jars back to Texas than I would have buying jam from the store.  The memory, the nostalgia, the skills learned were and still are priceless.

Those memories with my grandmother are what inspired us to plant strawberries in our front yard. They line the walkway to our front door. It’s a piece of joy, memories, and legacy. It’s a piece of my heart that my family that I get to share with all who come. The stories of those special times with my grandmother, and even to this day, she’s still my favorite person to go pick strawberries with. While she can’t go out as much as she used to, we still make a point to grab our berries. 

Today I collected the daily harvest, 8 cups of red, ripe berries and snapped a photo and sent them to my dad to show my grandma.  Actually our very first berry of the season was ripe on Easter Sunday, so we took it to her and she got to eat the very first one. As I picked the ripe berries today, I reflected on the significance of this harvest season and the lifelong memories made with my grandma.
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You see, the strawberries that line our front walkway were not an easy overnight success. This is the third season for our plants. The first season the vines were small and they didn’t produce any fruit and looked like they wouldn’t survive.. The second season they had started to grow, had offshoots, and only produced small amounts of fruit, but not a huge bounty. By the end of the season we were seeing some pretty large changes. This year the offshoots spread out of those little plants and have become these beautiful plants full of healthy white flowers and are overflowing with fruit. As I picked the berries today I carefully moved all the leaves and inspected the fruit, some were bright red and ready, others still need more time to grow, then there were the brown leaves in the bottom and middle of the plant.  If I don’t remove those brown leaves, the rest of the growing fruit will be covered and won't get the amount of light or nutrients needed to grow, will rot and our harvest season will end quicker.  

The lesson I've taken away from the strawberry plant is, if you love it, you have to prune it. Be patient with it and protect it. We protect them from severe weather and pests that will destroy the leaves and fruit. Since we use organic methods with our fruit we share some of our harvest with our friendly black ants and the occasional raccoon. 

So much is true in our daily life: love, patience, and pruning.  We can apply these principles to all areas of our life. The strawberry plant teaches me much about life and about business. We have to nurture it. We have to take care of it and prune it. We have to give it the right environment to grow, intentionally protect, put strategically steps into place on where the sun shines the most and has the biggest opportunity for growth, then you prepare to harvest a bounty that is far greater than you can ever imagine. 

What reminds you of growth opportunities? What experience have you had that taught you how to love, prune and protect? What abundance of harvest did you experience? Grandma has a saying, “Pick a little, eat a little". In everything we do, there are areas where we start by picking, have to toss out the bad, then find the good. In those moments we get to enjoy the sweetness of the fruit and we celebrate the success.

This past weekend, our youngest son had the opportunity to travel for an orchestra competition.  His team scored a superior rating. This was his teacher’s first superior rating as a teacher. She is an amazing teacher and I am thrilled for her. (She’s taught 3 of my children in orchestra). We talked about the journey.  From his first year when he could barely hold his bow straight and so many squeaky sounds. To the muscle memory in his fingers and the confidence in his ability, to the team work the group has established together. We emphasized that the consistency in his daily practice made a difference, and listening to his teacher instruct them in areas they needed to grow in, now they have brought home a huge trophy for their school.  We celebrated in a sweet way, chocolate covered strawberries.  

As you are preparing for your own harvest, what steps are you taking now for future success? I’m heading back downstairs to grab some more strawberries, this time I’ll stick some in the sugar bowl. 

Diving Into a Journey of Growth & Reaching for the Stars!

It's time to make that big move I've been thinking about for so long! I'm Crystal Baddorf: wife, mom, grandmother, survivor, serious entrepreneur, and a faith-loving gal who loves big and lives big. I'm super passionate about everything I do, so it's no surprise that I'm finally hitting the launch button on my blog. I'm ready to dive in and share my crazy adventures, encourage others, and make a larger difference in the lives of other.

When I'm not blogging, you can find me empowering individuals to reach their potential, experimenting in my kitchen, serving at church and in the community, cheering on my hubby and kiddos, or on some sort of adrenaline rush adventure. My favorite is whipping up something fun in my kitchen! Right now, I'm dusting off my pastry arts books and having fun.

Career? Serious Entrepreneur?  I've had the privilege to do many different types of jobs over the years that allowed me to have the flexibility to be the wife and mom that I wanted and needed to be during each season of life. From social selling (20 years’ experience there, so fun!), creating fun delicious cakes and desserts as a pastry chef, to eco-friendly residential construction, and now this season as a speaker, coach, and trainer. In 2016 fell in love with the Maxwell Method of coaching in, speaking and training so I interviewed in January 2021, got approved, jumped in and am now launching my consulting business. I'm now combining all my leadership experiences to help others reach their full potential through effective communication, implementing strong core values, and leading with a positive culture. It’s such an exciting and step of faith new adventure.

I'm excited to invite you to join me in this journey of growth! You can find me on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook, and I'm always up for a Zoom call or coffee/tea conversation. Let's make it happen and reach for the stars!