Getting High on Recovery

I love coffee. Today, I am drinking my coffee in honor of my mother. 

___

My mother is like a cup of coffee.

Sometimes dark and swirling and other times more creamy. Okay, the  comparison is weak, but not my mom. She has quiet strength like the best coffee you can imagine. 

Coffee can be bitter, but my mom is not bitter. She has faced trauma, loss, divorce, pain, rejection and two kids. Through it all, she is happy and optimistic.

Like a good cup of coffee, she needs a little help now and then. For me, the perfect cup of coffee needs a little sugar and cream. Mom is like that. She did not get to where she is at on her own. She has a lot of friends, her faith, her craft room and her cat. She is one of the most encouraging people that I know, and more giving than she maybe should be.

Coffee needs to stay fresh, and my mom does that. She has reinvented herself many times. She taught herself to use a computer and now she has a brand new smartphone. Not bad for a woman in her 70’s.

Coffee needs the right blend. I like it the shade of maple, but my mom likes it black like midnight. She stands out and she is her own person. No one tells my mom what to do or how to live her life. She is not in your face with her values, she just quietly stands her ground.

Her favorite coffee shop is Tim Hortons. She is not a fancy-coffee person, no frappe’s or mochaccinos. Just the black stuff.

Simple, but profound. She likes her coffee with a side order of company. Coffee needs company, she says. She is always ready to listen to other people and offers support no matter who you are.

She is versatile. Right now, her kitchen is stocked with a selection of fine ground coffee, coffee beans, Keurig coffee and a selection of flavored coffees. If you pop over to her house, she is ready for whatever beverage choice you have.

She is refillable, just like the pot. She is always ready for the second cup. My mom just keeps going. She feels tired now and then, but she does not give up. If my brother or I want to see her, we have to call a month ahead. Not because she does not have the time, but because she keeps herself busy. She refuses to settle down and retire.

This mother’s day, my coffee is in my mother’s honor. Mom, thank you for all that you do! We love you.

Keep it Real