Hot Cup of Coffee

It has been a while since I've written. Ok, almost a year. What?! But today, I had an overwhelming urge to tap these keys and share some thoughts. This will be quick, as I'm stealing a few moments while my sweet daughter is napping, but write I must!

Yesterday I came across a meme on Instagram shared by Courtney Carver, ( she credits Ardys Zoellner) who writes beautifully at https://bemorewithless.com/. I'm not usually much of an inspirational meme lover; they often come off as trite or cheesy. But this one grabbed me.

I think the line that stood out to me most was "Your still-hot-cup-of-coffee." Why? Because I rarely enjoy a full cup of coffee while it's still hot. It's a joke among moms--how many times do you reheat your coffee in a day? Because we get sidetracked. Because little people demand our attention and come first, as they ought to. But I know what's true for me, and that is that while I often do get sidetracked by my daughter, just as often, I'm trying to do too many things at once. Dishes left in the sink from the night before need to be washed. The ones in the drainer need to be put away. Breakfast needs to be made and eaten and fed to Margot.

But a whole day stretches before me. Why the hurry? To feel significant? To scratch the itch to feel productive?

It seems that much is written about being present. I can hear it so often, that I start thinking  knowing is the same as doing. Oh yeah, I know about that. James, one of the biblical authors, wrote, "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only." I think James understood human nature. I read a blog post on being present and then mindlessly scroll on to the next thing that catches my attention. I file it away in the mental folder "Things to Work on," banking on a future time that I'll master it. Meanwhile, these precious days march on, filled with "simple pleasures following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string," as L.M. Montgoery's Ann of Green Gables mused.

Today I set out to enjoy my coffee while it was hot. I soon found myself standing at an open closet, organizing various items, coffee neglected on the table in the living room. All of a sudden I snapped back into the moment. "How did I get her," I thought. Old habits die hard. But I began again. And I'll begin again tomorrow. I'll sip that hot goodness and watch, really watch my daughter as she plays on the floor before me, teaching me what it means to revel in the simplest things. After each of His amazing creations, the Creator pronounced them good. His gifts are good. He is good. And the invitation is the same as it's always been: taste and see.