Hope & I Ain't Got It

It's about knowing Who does.

Hope Matters

Of course, y’all know I’m a creative; I write. You meet me here every week (THANK YOU! 🫶🏾). However, I do other things, too. I have a Cricut that I haven’t been spending nearly enough time with. I knit, not enough-if any-of that either. And, I manufacture designs in Canva (mainly for Cricut projects).

When I do spend time with my Cricut, it’s because I have this one friend who’s with all the decal shenanigans you can name. She sees something she wants. Decides it doesn’t say what she wants it to say or look how she wants it to look. THEN, you guessed it! She calls me. 🙄🤦🏾‍♀️ (There are not enough eyeroll or SMH emojis to put in this hopeletter, so I’ll try to limit them. She knows it, too. 😆) Her asks are not easy, typical tasks for me.

She’ll start by texting a picture and asking, “Can you do this?” At this point, she already knows I’m rolling my eyes. Then, she’ll follow up with, “This is just an idea. You might be able to come up with something like it, but this is what I want it to say. I know you can do it.” The entire time I’m side-eyeing the project and thinking, ‘Nope, I ain’t got it. I can’t do this.’

With a confidence level ranging from 3 to 0 on a scale of 10, I head to Canva and sit there looking at the app, not motivated to do a thing. When I’m done staring into the Canva oblivion and about to shut down whatever device I’m using, it is then that I say, ‘Lord, I need your help.’ I might or might not get it immediately, and sometimes I shut that thing down faster than you can blink. However, I always receive Divine Inspiration as requested. There’s not a project she’s asked me to do that we (God and I) haven’t been able to conquer, which is also why she keeps calling and texting. 🤦🏾‍♀️

Now, everyone won’t identify as being a creative of some sort, although I believe we all are. However, whether you identify as a creative or not, if you’re a parent you most certainly are. None of us knows what we’re doing. We’re just out here making things up as we go. You know, being creative.

Faithful Hope Buddies, you all know Son is on the autism spectrum. If you’re new here now you do, too. Well, we’re smack dab in the middle of a life transition, and there’s something I’m trying to convince him to apply for. He is digging in his heels, y’all. Change is extremely difficult for him, and this is a major one. So, I’ve talked, explained, encouraged, and even started filling out the application for him; when I heard a voice tell me, “Stop.” My response, ‘What do You want me to do then? ‘Cause I ain’t got it.’ (complete with all the attitude you might have read this with) Then, I heard, “Let me handle him but also involve him in the process.” So, I’ve sent a calendar invitation to Son to a meeting that’s happening about the opportunity. But in the meantime I’m praying for his heart and mind to be open. Nothing else, just that.

What I’ve learned is that I need to approach parenting like I do those Canva projects. *deep 23-year parenting sigh*

Hope Buddies, when you are faced with some challenge, know that God has your back. Simply ask for Divine Inspiration. Then, wait. It might not come right away, but it’ll come. Sometimes, we get caught up in doing everything we can and miss that we didn’t have to do all that in the first place.

Hope in Divine Inspiration. ☕️

Coffee Matters

Coffee Buddies, you know my loved ones came with the coffee things for Christmas gifts. 💃🏾 Well, one such gift was a can of Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey Coffee. So, there are a couple of reasons I approached this coffee doubting whether I’d like it. First, it’s already ground. Second, I’d tried coffee from a whiskey company approximately 2 years ago and was completely unimpressed. As a matter of fact, I didn’t finish it, and I’d bought 2 bags 😒.

However, in an attempt not to judge, I tried it and was pleasantly surprised. This coffee has a good flavor by itself, but y’all know I need a little stevia. That enhanced the flavor, but what really sends this over the top is a little vanilla. I was about to prep for sipping one morning and decided to use my SweetLeaf Vanilla Sweet Drops instead of the powder. Tasty!

So my French-Vanilla-Creamer people, this might be a coffee in which your creamer will shine. If you don’t use creamer but another sweetener, you might want to add a touch of vanilla extract. However, I’ll encourage you not to overdo it. I added a bit too much vanilla one morning, and it tasted like steeped sweet tea.

I’m happy to report this can is almost empty. 😁 So…

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.