10/10/2026
BBQ, for me, is more than getting up early and preparing for days beforehand. It’s more than seasoning the meat and keeping the pit lit. It’s more than hours spent chasing perfection.
It isn’t just a job, a hobby, or even a lifestyle. It’s a deeper connection to who I am and who I want to become. I’m not trying to be the best. I’m trying to be better than I was yesterday.
BBQ gives me time to reflect. Time to sit in peace, watch the sunrise, and listen to the world wake up around me. The wood popping. The fire burning just right. In those quiet moments, my mind wanders.
Sometimes I think about past cooks and what I could have done better. Sometimes I think about future cooks, overthinking every detail months before it’s time. But more often, my thoughts turn to the people I’ve lost, the loved ones I miss and the memories I still carry.
Life has dealt me some tough hands over the years, but I try not to let the hurt become all I see. I try to remember the good. We don’t always get to choose how we feel when we wake up, but we can choose how we meet the day. Some days, that means choosing happiness. Other days, it means finding one small reason to keep going. We were never promised an easy life, but I believe our mindset matters in how we move through it.
Sitting beside the pit takes me back to being a carefree kid. Back to sitting with family, when family felt like family. Holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, and Sunday meals. Listening to my Popo root for whoever was playing the Cowboys.
I remember summer vacations, weekend fishing trips, playing in the street with friends, riding bikes, and simply being a kid. Aqua Fest, fireworks, and parades. Volunteering with Brown Santa, blind beep softball, and so many other things. Playing baseball and basketball with my granny and great-grandmother cheering me on from the stands. Growing up around cook-offs and the great people who made those days so special.
Those memories bring a smile, but they also make me realize how quickly time passes.
The thought that I may have more time behind me than ahead of me hits hard. Have I done everything I wanted to do? Did I hug my loved ones enough? Did I tell them I loved them enough? Did I hold on to a grudge too long? Did I make the right choices?
The answers aren’t easy. Some are yes. Many are no. But I’m grateful I still have time, time to make amends, love more openly, let go of what doesn’t matter, and make better choices moving forward.
These are the experiences that shaped me. The people, the memories, the mistakes, and the lessons. There are things I wish I had done differently, and things I can never change. I carry them with me, and I keep learning.
I have lived. I have learned. I have survived.
I’ve shed tears, carried guilt, and found reasons to smile. I’ve endured loss and pain. I’ve been angry, and I’ve been happy. I’ve questioned my purpose and many of my choices. Through it all, I’m still here, still growing, still trying to be better than I was yesterday.
So when I’m sitting beside the pit, there’s more happening than a fire burning and a meal coming together.
That’s my time to remember. My time to find peace. My time to give thanks, ask for guidance, and turn it all over to God.
That’s what BBQ means to me!
- Jonathan Rathke
