Coffee Relationships: Mother, Self, Spouse, Friend

by | Apr 4, 2022 | Faith, Family, Writing and Reading | 15 comments |

Coffee with mother

Every afternoon, after school, Mother makes herself a cup of decaf coffee laced with milk, and my sisters and I pour ourselves Cokes. Then we sit around the dining room table while Mother listens to our woes. I tell her about my teachers’ impossible expectations, friends who might not be friends anymore, and all the terrible, awful, horrible things that happened that day. At the end of my recital, I get up from the table, feeling much better, and start my homework.

Coffee with self

At breakfast, I down one cup of coffee laced with milk then another and another. I start first semester of college with one cup; by the end of second semester, I graduate to two or three cups. My hands tremble, my heart races, and a sour feeling roils my gut. Though alert, I’m on the verge of panic and having trouble sleeping. Know thyself: only one cup of coffee in the morning, and maybe decaf later.

Coffee with spouse

The coffee maker in the loft beeps five times, and the smell drifts down to meet the late-summer air flowing through our bedroom window. In the forest, a lone vireo greets the day with a persistent repertoire of courtship songs. I wonder, will his warbling so late in the season win him a mate like my husband won me late in life, to build and share a nest together?

I slip on t-shirt and sweatpants and meet my spouse at the bottom of the stairs. He hands me my one cup of coffee. “Good morning, my love,” he says, “did you sleep well?” I hear the rich burbling of the vireo in his voice. “Yes, thank you,” I say, “and you?”

Coffee with a friend

My friend and I are enjoying our usual Friday coffee at the Rockfish Valley Community Center. In the past three years, we’ve both lost mothers, dogs, and spouses—her beloved husband, my ex—so we know grief, joy, loss, and sorrow can overtake us at any time. Today, it’s her turn. 

She tells me about the tragic death of one of her husband’s family members. I sip my cup of decaf and listen, hoping my friend will get up from the table feeling much better.

Every morning, I sip my coffee laced with milk, read the Word, and pray. Starting my day, in relationship with the Lord. The SACRED way, as Ann Voskamp writes in The Waymaker: Stillness to know God, Attentiveness to hear God, Cruciformity to surrender to God, Revelation to see God, Examine to return to God, Doxology to thank God.

Link up with Five Minute Friday: https://fiveminutefriday.com/2022/03/31/fmf-writing-prompt-link-up-coffee/

15 Comments

  1. K.L. Hale

    Carole, this is beautiful. Jesus and coffee is how I begin every morning ~laced with half and half and the Holy Spirit, I feel prepared for my day. I love how you weaved your life through this coffee share. Sip sip hooray! God bless you! ❤️

    Reply
    • Carole Duff

      Sip sip hooray! Love it, Karla! Thank you, and God bless! -C.D.

      Reply
      • K.L. Hale

        You’re welcome! And thank you, too! 💛

        Reply
      • K.L. Hale

        Me too! She did a wonderful job!

        Reply
    • Carole Duff

      Thank you! -C.D.

      Reply
  2. Bette Cox

    Cruciformity. What a challenging concept. Word. Idea. He was crucified before the foundation of the earth, and when He was, we were. But living it out daily! Oh, oh, oh, oh. I love coffee too, Carole, but that word just grabbed me. It squeezes my heart. Thank you.

    Reply
    • Carole Duff

      Yes, indeed, Bette, and thank you for your comment. Cruciformity, a new word for me, but not a new concept – or challenge.

      I highly recommend Ann Voskamp’s book. She walks the walk.

      Reply
  3. Wendy

    Carole, what a beautiful picture of how Coffee is weaved throughout your life and relationships and finally connects you to God!

    Reply
    • Carole Duff

      Thank you for reading, Wendy. God bless you! -C.D.

      Reply
  4. Gary Fultz

    Carole, we are close relatives related through coffee…LOL
    I so relate

    Reply
    • Carole Duff

      As one of my readers said, “Sip, sip, hooray!”

      Reply
  5. SimplyCoffeeandJesus;ByPaula

    Carole, what a fantastic post. I so love coffee, a little too much, Lol. Thank you for sharing. Blessings.
    FMF #10

    Reply
    • Carole Duff

      Thank you for reading, Paula, and God bless you! -C.D.

      Reply

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