A story of love, loss, and carrying on.

In "A New Widow Learns Batteries Not Included-Some Assembly Required"Joyce Carr Stedelbauer shares practical ingredients of her recipe for transitioning to a renewed life following the unexpected death of her beloved husband for 64 years. Her vignettes and musings, often with subtle humor, may well assist others in journeying from sorrow to healthy acceptance and renewed fulfillment following the biblical directive "Take Courage". For this challenging transition, " Some assembly is definitely required"! Agnew Swynford, III

How am I to feel? What am I to do? Who am I? There are no right or wrong answers when our loved one passes. Joyce shares some of her own thoughts to these questions with an honesty grounded in her faith. Each day, as I read each chapter I began to find some of my own answers to this unexpected journey. Lindy Warrick, Educator, Pastor's wife

For many years Joyce was the beautiful and intriguing woman who I observed across the aisle at church hoping to know someday. Taking her seat each Sunday morning alongside her tall and handsome George, I noticed their smiles, their kindnesses to others, their warmth and their glow. Seven years later I am blessed by our "intentional" introduction as we became friends with hearts bended in prayer for family, friends and our faith. With a heart broken by her loss in 2019, Joyce responded to my prayerful and selfish whispered encouragement and poured herself out in her writing. In this brilliant story poetry and quiet masterpiece Joyce courageously shares her wound-ed soul following the loss of the love of a lifetime. Joyce's beautiful love story takes us on a journey to the deepest intimate aches of missing someone and to the heights of thankfulness for loving a spouse so completely. God moves with infinite love through the love story of George and Joyce. Dianne Howell