As published in the Wednesday, March 11, 2026, Bluffton News-Banner If you drove through downtown Bluffton on a recent Friday evening and saw flashing lights onthe dark second level of the Wells County Public Library and wondered, “What is going on inthere?” let me tell you: You missed out. It was Family Fun Night, anContinueContinue reading “Now is the time to support your local library”
Category Archives: Blog
‘I love this town’
I have seen the best this community has to offer, and I’ve seen the worse. I have benefited from its benevolence and have been harmed by its malfeasance. The juxtaposition, the contradictions, that’s what makes a community revolve and evolve, right? At one point I considered moving away and never coming back. At another pointContinueContinue reading “‘I love this town’”
I Had Coffee With My Younger Self
I had coffee with my younger self in the mid-afternoon sun. She arrived running late from an after school activity and I was a few minutes early, enjoying the quiet. She showed up in mascara, jeans, an old T-shirt, and bright sneakers. I had a full face of subtle makeup and was dressed in businessContinueContinue reading “I Had Coffee With My Younger Self”
What I Would Have Missed
Here’s an incomplete list of things I would have missed if my life would have ended when my husband’s did: Discovering the early 2000s drama One Tree Hill Blasting Noah Kahan in the car with my kid Seeing P!NK live in concert Watching my kid thrive in school Rediscovering my love of reading Picking upContinueContinue reading “What I Would Have Missed”
What You Won’t Find at Our House for Halloween
Like many Midwesterners, I like fall. In fact, fall is my favorite season. Historically, I would say it’s because my birthday is in late August and I played high school golf, which is a fall sport. But also I like the changing of the leaves, the crisp temperatures perfect for sweaters and boots, and IContinueContinue reading “What You Won’t Find at Our House for Halloween”
A Look Back, A Look Forward
Hi, my name is Jessica and I am now an expert in something I never wanted to have any experience in. If you are new here, this is a portion of my life story that has shaped my adult life. In November 2021, my husband of four years died by suicide. The world of myContinueContinue reading “A Look Back, A Look Forward”
Passing on a love of board games
As published in the April 3, 2024, Bluffton News-Banner. I grew up in a family of gamers. From a young age, I was playing Skip-Bo and Phase 10, then Labyrinth and dominoes at the kitchen table. By middle school, my friends and I were playing Kemps and euchre during recess and on the bus. InContinueContinue reading “Passing on a love of board games”
‘Catastrophic’
*Content/trigger warning* My therapist recently described Allen’s suicide as a “catastrophic trauma.” She asked me if I agreed with the description and after I scoffed, I quickly confirmed. It seemed like an understatement. But the longer I spend tossing that phrase around in my head, I’m not sure there is a better way to describeContinueContinue reading “‘Catastrophic’”
10 years have passed in a blink of an eye
As published in the Thursday, July 27, News-Banner. I still remember when I registered my first vehicle here, earning the “90” on my license plate. I joked that this community was stuck with me for awhile. This summer marks 10 years since I’ve called Wells County home. After a childhood full of memories visiting theContinueContinue reading “10 years have passed in a blink of an eye”
Some parenting decisions are easy
As seen in the March 1, 2023, Bluffton News-Banner. Finn and I after the IUWBB win in Bloomington against Rutgers. Every decision you make as a parent isn’t life or death. And the outcome of every decision may not have longterm effects on your child. But some decisions, you hope, steer him in the rightContinueContinue reading “Some parenting decisions are easy”
Jessica Williams Bricker 