Coffee.
Honest confession … I used to hate coffee. What’s weird is that my first real job was working as a receptionist in the executive offices at a fancy hotel. One of my job duties was to make the coffee every morning. I had no idea what made a good cup of coffee or a bad one so I listened diligently to the ratio of coffee to water and made sure I did the same thing every day.
Fast forward into my forties. My husband was determined to get me to like coffee so we could have long chats. Since he knew me so well, he took me to Starbucks one day and ordered me a white chocolate mocha. I’m sure he thought if it had chocolate in it I would like it. I hesitated at first, sure that I would never like it – let’s just say I was surprised. I drank the entire cup and became a new person. He laughed as I think I spoke more words in the following 40 minutes than I had our entire marriage. Encouraged by my progress, he faithfully made me a cup of coffee every morning hoping I would jump all in. He lovingly doctored it up with heavy cream and stevia. At first, most mornings I would hold the cup of warm liquid and take a couple of sips proud of myself for joining the adult world.
As the months progressed, I jumped all in drinking the entire cup. Now it’s my favorite moment of my day. The routine generally goes something like this.
My husband usually wakes up a little before me and starts the coffee (hey, don’t judge … I have a lot of sleep to make up for post-kids). After about 10 minutes, I throw on my oversized knit-blanket style cardigan and find my way to the couch. He hands me my coffee mug after mixing it all together in a way that only he knows how to do.
And then it happens, the first taste. It’s pure delight! The warm, sweet creamy coffee mixture hits my mouth and for the next hour, we spend in quiet conversation. This truly has become the sweetest part of my home life. It’s a soft opening to my a day. A time to have slow conversation – sometimes deep, sometimes shallow, yet always endearing.
Coffee has changed my life – that may sound dramatic. I guess I could say it’s not the coffee itself but what it brings to my home and life. It beckons us to slow down, focus on each other, sit in quietness and peace, start our day with intentionality.
Maybe you have that thing that brings “home” to your house. The simple things are sometimes the means which gives us strength and courage for the day. For me it’s not coffee per se but it’s what it represents – slowly and deliberately beginning my day. Like a sunrise that slowly ascends, so we too slowly awaken relishing in the promise of a new day!
May we continue to live …
Rooted in Him,
