Life's Delicious Brew

We have a lot of coffee drinkers in the family. Your daddy loves his coffee bold, black, and on ice; your Papa Jerry prefers his coffee strong and hot; and your Boompa can smell from a room away if his coffee is made with soft water (If it lathers, it doesn't make good coffee.), and he will pour it out at his first opportunity. For as long as I have known these men, they have loved their coffee. The scenery may change; they may drink coffee in the car, at home, at work, in a restaurant, or at church. The container may change: cup, mug, thermos, or glass. However, some things remain constant. Their coffee is rich. Their cups are always full. And their drink of choice always brings them joy.

Today, I heard the following story. Its author is unknown, but its message is profound.

"A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups have been taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of life we live.

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee. Savor the coffee, not the cups! The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly."

Poppyseed, I wish I could provide for you the most extravagant and beautiful cup, but sometimes all the good cups are taken before I can grab the one I had my eye on. Even during those times that we may get our cup of choice, if we spend too much time admiring the cup, by the time we get to tasting what's inside, it could be stale.

Here is what your dad and I can promise to provide for you.

We promise that we will always make sure your cup is full of the most fragrant and delicious life.

We promise that we will fill your cup with enough sugar, always making life sweet but never leaving a cavity.

We promise that what fills your cup will be strong and bold, but never bitter.

We promise that we will brew enough fresh life that you can share it with the people you love the most.

We promise that your cup will runneth over with love.

And we promise to teach you to fill your own cup with the flavor of life that you love the most.

We love you always, Poppyseed. Remember to focus on the delicious brew of life, and like Daddy, Papa Jerry, and Boompa do with their daily "cups of Joe", savor each and every sip.