Gratitude Day 334

Sat., Oct. 5, 2019

Ecclesiastes 8:15: So, I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.

Morning truly begins with the first sip of coffee.

Yep, I am a coffee monger. I LOVE coffee.

Growing up, I didn’t like the taste of coffee. I loved the smell of coffee. When my Deaton grandparents visited, I would sit with my Grandma and simply smell her coffee. And she let me. We would pull a spoon through the milky liquid, drinking in the fresh smell of beans.

In college, I began drinking coffee; out of necessity more than because I liked the taste. Over time, I developed an affinity for the taste of coffee. Now, I’m hooked. It would be a very, very sad day for me if I could no longer drink coffee.

There’s another reason I love coffee. My Dad enjoyed drinking coffee. As I drink a cup of morning coffee, I often think of having this first cup with my Dad. He drank what I call “candy coffee”; so much sugar and cream in his coffee that the true flavor of coffee was masked. For years, I drank black coffee. I now keep half and half in the frig. Sometimes, I pour a little half and half into the cup, just in honor of my Dad. It makes me feel a little closer to him while drinking that first cup.

Hubby Rick also likes coffee. But his coffee habits are different than mine. He drinks three-day-old coffee. Yep. Stuff I won’t touch. And he doesn’t prefer it steaming hot, but lukewarm. When my coffee cools down, I warm it back up. No cream for Rick. Straight black. The darker the better, he feels. Flavored coffee is not his friend. I love trying different flavors and know my favorites.

While I usually have that first cup of coffee in the morning by myself, I also enjoy having coffee with Rick. Or a friend. Or with a meal that I eat with another person. Having coffee is a way that I experience happiness in my life. I’m sure it ties back to thinking I’m having a cup of coffee with my Dad.

For years, Dad went to the local coffee shop daily. Sometimes more than once. When my parents still lived on the farm and my Mom needed to get ahold of my Dad, she called the coffee shop. (These were the days long before cell phones.) This isn’t the Starbucks or coffee shops of today. This was the local hometown café with a big table right inside the door where the local farmers gathered for coffee and a game of dice. It had a cafeteria-style countertop with red stools where you could sit and eat a piece of homemade pie along with a cup of coffee. This café was the place where Dad and other local guys gathered to catch up on crop harvest, milk prices and local gossip. It was a place where everyone knew his name and he knew everyone else’s.

Once out of college and with a real job, when I visited at my parents, sometimes my Dad asked me to join him at the café for coffee. I never turned down these opportunities. As the only woman sitting at the table with a bunch of guys, it was not for the faint of heart. But it was a way to connect to Dad’s world. I knew that I received Dad’s stamp of approval for Hubby Rick when he invited Rick to join him for coffee at the café. Rick fit right in with the coffee-clutch guys.

As I sit in front of my laptop this morning with a cup of coffee to my left, I take another sip and think of the happiness it brings me. It’s just coffee. Nothing special. No fancy brewing or added flavors and lengthy process to make. Yet, it brings me happiness.

What is something that brings happiness to the beginning of your day? A little reward for all the hard work that you did yesterday? A way to begin the day centered with something that gives you hope?

For happiness in a cup of coffee, I am grateful. 

Holy God – we are encouraged to find little pieces of happiness in our days. Fun that carries us through another day filled with opportunity. May we savor and drink these moments in. Amen.

Blessings –

Dianne

If you have enjoyed this blog, please pass it along to someone else who will also enjoy it.+