Welcome back to the table. Episode 337 of Lunchtime in Rome arrived after another round of illness, a house that still hasn’t sold, a totaled car, a new Kia, a rapidly growing puppy, and a wedding weekend that managed to be both spiritual and chaotic. The hosts spent the early part of the show catching up on life—Chris’s lingering cough and open house plans, Jay’s reflections on Mia and Haddon’s wedding in Lynchburg, Joe’s deer-versus-car encounter (dashcam highly recommended), the black-on-black Sorento, and Toby the yellow Lab mix who is already testing the limits of “medium-sized dog.”
Then they got to the point.
Romans 12:15 at the Table
The night’s question was simple and hard at the same time: rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn. Listeners responded in force, and the hosts treated those responses the way the podcast usually does—by refusing to fix, minimize, or turn them into a lesson. They sat with the stories.
Jess Berkovich described a stretch of bad health and difficult relationships while still naming her family as the good that keeps her grounded. The hosts appreciated the grit without asking her to perform gratitude. Faith Malazzo wrote that all three of her (and her partner’s) parents are currently in the hospital in three different states none of them live in. The table noted how quickly “three parents” multiplies the logistical and emotional load; there is no clean reserve when the people who usually show up for you are the ones who need showing up for.
Heather (affectionately called Trixie in the episode) spoke about addiction’s effect on a whole family and the ache of wanting to be a good mom when the role refuses to stay simple. Jay shared something he had said to her privately: guilt tends to turn the spotlight back on yourself (“I’m a bad mom”), while conviction points outward toward what is right and what God is asking. The distinction mattered to the conversation. Diane described watching her daughter navigate a serious health crisis with her husband and child while trying to keep life as normal as possible for her own daughter. The hosts gently pushed back on the idea that presence doesn’t count if you can’t fix the thing—sometimes the best you can do is keep it from getting worse.
Kelly Anker admitted to loneliness even while being around people most days and talked about selling a building she still loves. Don Penner mentioned a season of regrouping and the weight of watching people close to him carry recent losses. Jeff Kearney is days away from retiring after twenty years in the military; the mountaintop of that milestone sits next to anxiety about the future, a broken foot, and a missing voice. Bethany’s update was the clearest example of a mountaintop inside a valley: the boys are doing better, she closed on a house, Joey is getting a Make-A-Wish adaptive playground at home, and they’re still waiting on enough nursing care so both boys can be under one roof. Kathleen Whelan wrote that she feels like she’s fighting a battle alone after an amputation. Beverly Sheasley is caring for her mother-in-law through dementia and named both the hard days and the practical mercies (a one-floor house, a nursing background). Nita Choma’s family is facing the death of a teenager. Corey Lima is climbing back after a fall. Tom Doyle thanked the community for naming the burdens most people never see. And Corey (Trey’s daughter) wrote the blunt line that grief does not politely end when other people are ready for it to end: “My dad’s dead… still dead… people don’t want to hear about my dead dad.”
The hosts kept returning to the same posture. You don’t have to have the right words. You don’t have to take the other person’s emotion as your own identity. You also don’t get to stand outside it. Presence is the assignment. Dan Leopold’s story closed the segment the way his stories often do: he caught a fainting man at Walmart with “perfect volleyball form,” then wrote that a life spent making other people’s valleys a little less deep is a good life. The table liked that framing.
And Then Potatoes
Because this is Lunchtime in Rome, they eventually had to talk about food. The question was top two potato forms. Hash browns (especially McDonald’s or a properly seared diner version) made multiple lists. Baked russet potatoes with butter, salt, and sour cream (or not—Rachel has opinions) ranked high. Tater tots, waffle fries, and the idea of a tater-tot-crust breakfast casserole all received votes. Bethany introduced potato candy, a Hoosier staple that starts with mashed potato, powdered sugar, and peanut butter and is rolled like a jelly roll. Several people at the table had never heard of it and immediately wanted to try it. The conversation wandered through home fries, pierogi, gnocchi, and whether potato skins count. Everyone eventually admitted they just like potatoes.
Listen In
The full episode is available wherever you get the show. If one of the stories landed on you, the hosts mean what they said on the air: they are joining you. You can also reply to the original Facebook post or message Jay directly. Next week is episode 338, same time, same table.
Thanks for sitting with us.
