COFFEE TEACHINGS

Why do coffee makers die in the morning…when you are trying to make that very important and very first cup of the day? I suppose it’s like roofs that only leak when it is raining and furnaces that only quit when it is cold…. But this is my morning cup of coffee and my first world problem.

God decided to turn this difficulty, this everyday event, into a teaching tool. On my way to pick up a new coffee maker, with my 2/3 mug of day old coffee, I decided to visit my mom in the Rehab Unit of a nursing home. Mom is almost 91 and had fallen in her apartment the previous morning.

My mission was to bring her clothing, toiletries, and such. I greeted mom with as cheery of a “good morning greeting” as a 2/3 mug of day old wake-up juice would allow. I was met with a grumpy scowl and a picking-at-her breakfast mom, who simply said, “They haven’t brought me my coffee yet.” I reassured her that they would.

So I hung her clothes in the closet, placed her unmentionable garments in the dresser…and when I was finished with my agenda, I turned my focus back to my mother. She said a little more grumpily, “They still haven’t brought me my coffee.” This time I listened, instead of just heard, and told her I know where the coffee is located and promptly got her a cup.

The irony of the event is unmistakable. My missing the opportunity to immediately serve someone else is nearly unforgivable. But…after she had a sip or two, mom said, “You sure take good care of me.”  Thank you God for my lesson on grace, service, and love.

Blessed be the little things….they tend to be the greatest!

Bruce M