Hope & Gratitude

Time well spent

Hope Matters

In a Thanksgiving devotional I was reading, the author reflected on how grateful she was, that in her busyness one day, she took time to play with her small child. I sat there trying to remember times when I’d played with Son when he was little and whether or not I appreciated it. It almost got exhausting, y’all. (We’ve been together 22 years, at least.)

Instead, I decided to focus on what I appreciate doing with him now. (I hinted at this a bit in “Hope & I Get To,” but I’ll give you a bit more here.) I’m grateful that I get to actively parent him at this stage in his life when most parents have either pushed their kids out of the nest to fly on their own or the kids just flew off in their rush to be adults. Most parents miss this time, because we’ve been conditioned by capitalism to crank out those productive, working citizens. Yet, I sit here in appreciation that I don’t have to follow that blueprint. I get to nurture him as he continues to mature and, be as involved as he’ll let me 🙄, in helping him effectively interact with people. I’m grateful that I get to continue developing my relationship with him throughout this process and that he wants my help in fulfilling his dreams. It adds to my life’s purpose. For me, this is time well spent.

We often take for granted the people we get to do life with and how truly special our time with them is. Sometimes, that time might seem burdensome or that it’s taking a bit extra out of us; but I can almost guarantee that, of the time we give them, we’ll find some (if not all) of it is well spent. This season rolls around, and we start giving thanks for all the people and things, but why are we sincerely grateful for them?

Hope Buddies, you knew this part was coming. 😁

Here’s the challenge: Take a minute (or a few) and think about the people in your life (even the difficult ones 😏) to whom you give your time and who share their time with you. Make note of what spending time with them brings to your life. Is it joy, peace, growth, knowledge, etc.?

What people and things mean to us matters. The more I think about the people and things in my life in this way, the more I feel my heart open and always cherish the time I share/shared with them, not only in this season.

My prayer (hope) is that you’ll use this lens to view all the people that come into your life, either for a season or a lifetime. Let it shift your heart. Let it shift your mind. Let it shift your life.

Hope in gratitude. ☕️

Coffee Matters

🚨🗣️WARNING! This is not your morning coffee!

Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way, I have a coffee recipe to share with you. If you don’t consume alcoholic beverages, this might not be for you.

Hope Buddies, y’all know how I love chocolate and chocolate-flavored beverages. Well, I’ve got one that’s a chocolate fix, if I’ve ever had one. A few weeks ago, a bottle was found tucked away in a box somewhere. When it was presented to me with the rest of the collection, it stood out because it read Double Chocolate. So, I opened, sniffed, and tasted it…DELICIOUS!

Now, at the time I was still morning-sipping from the bag of Arboretum I told you all about in “Hope & People as Angels,” and all I could think was, ‘Combining these two would make a FANTASTIC coffee beverage.’ Let me tell you, I was not wrong.

Here’s another thing I’ll share with you, ‘cause we’re buddies, right? I adore a good Irish coffee, so this recipe is a spin on that. At this point, I’ll stop waxing on and give you the actual recipe for Triple Chocolate Coffee.

In a small mug, combine these ingredients:

1 tablespoon brown sugar

3 oz. coffee (with notes of chocolate)

2 oz. 360 Double Chocolate flavored vodka

That’s it. Now, in true Irish-coffee fashion, I topped mine with a healthy dollop of Extra Creamy Cool Whip. I made this beverage for two others. Both smacked their lips as they were sipping, and one of them asked for more. So, you don’t have to take my word for it. 😁

Hope Buddies, make sure you intentionally enjoy your families and friends, and Happy Thanksgiving!

What are you hoping and sipping this week?

I appreciate you taking the time to read this hopeletter about my life and coffee. Please share with a friend who could use a little hope or coffee recommendation.