When the Foot Breaks at the Start of Sukkot 🪜✨
This week, my husband broke his foot. And somehow — in the middle of this holiday season, in the middle of what was supposed to be our first ever sukkah — joy, irony, and unexpected blessings have made their way into this story.
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A First Sukkah… Finally 🌿
We are in the middle of Sukkot, the Jewish fall harvest festival — a time of joy and gratitude. Traditionally, families build little temporary huts (sukkahs) outside, decorate them with handmade crafts, and eat their meals under the stars.
For years, we’ve said, “Next year, we’ll build one.” But this year? This was the year.
- Our rabbis came with tape measures to make sure everything would be kosher.
- Our deck turned out to be perfect — all we needed was a roof and some decorations.
- The kids were thrilled to bring home their handmade sukkah crafts.
- We made two trips to Lowe’s, set everything up, and were ready for our first meal outside.
And then, the lumber was unloaded. My husband stepped off the last step of the deck… and missed. Leading to a broken foot.
When Plans Break Too 💔
At first, we didn’t know it was broken. We did the classic R.I.C.E. (rest, ice, compression, elevation). But a few hours later, urgent care confirmed it: a broken bone.
The good news:
- No surgery needed 🙏
- The bone isn’t displaced.
- He’s in a boot with crutches, and healing should go smoothly.
The bad news:
- We live in a very stair-heavy house.
- Our sukkah is down a flight of steep stairs.
- My husband can’t access it at all.
And that means… no family dinners in the sukkah this year.
Joy Despite the Turbulence 🌟
Sukkot is called “the time of our joy.” It’s a spiritually high holiday — a time to trust in divine protection after the Days of Awe. And joy doesn’t mean everything goes smoothly. It means finding joy in the middle of uncertainty. I’ve long believed the bigger the light, the bigger the resistance beforehand.
A broken foot this year isn’t a punishment. It’s turbulence before spiritual takeoff. ✈️
Forced Stillness, Unexpected Gifts 🕊️
Because of the injury, life slowed down — whether we wanted it to or not. And strangely, that has brought unexpected blessings:
- School break: Our older kids are off for the holiday. No early mornings, no packed lunches, no rushing out the door.
- More responsibility:
- The kids now rotate cleaning tasks after meals.
- My 6-year-old makes toast, my 5-year-old empties the dishwasher and fills water bottles, and my 3-year-old eagerly asked for a job too.
- Laundry is being sorted into piles by little hands. (I almost can’t believe it either.)
- Simplifying: We stocked up on paper plates to make kitchen cleanup easier. No guilt. Just survival mode with grace.
- Support:
- Friends and cousins have shown up with pizza, extra hands, and childcare.
- Babysitters have stepped in during the chaotic dinner–bedtime window.
- I feel so held by our little community.
New Rhythms, Same Love 💪❤️
We’ve had to completely pivot our daily routines:
- My husband climbs the stairs on hands and knees, slides down on his booty, and works from home for now.
- The kids help carry crutches, I carry his coffee, refill water, help with his clothing
- All the household chores and physicality of our two younger children fall on me, with a bit of help from our older two children
- I’m now 100% responsible for the cat. (We used to split that one. 😄)
It’s a lot. And it’s long-term — likely up to eight weeks of this. But somehow, we found our rhythm faster than I expected.
Morning Light in the Sukkah ☕✨
Even though we’re not eating family meals in the sukkah, I’ve been sneaking out early in the mornings.
- Hot coffee.
- String lights.
- Planner and Bible.
- Just me and the quiet.
It’s not what I pictured — but it’s still sacred.
A Curveball Isn’t a Rejection ⚾🌿
This Sukkot didn’t look anything like I imagined. But I trust it looks exactly how God pictured it.
“God loves it when you show up anyway, even when things are messy.”
Curveballs aren’t always rejections. Sometimes they’re invitations — to slow down, surrender, and receive joy in unexpected places.