(Written in 2004 and published in DreamSeeker Magazine, Spring 2004; uploaded to my blog for Jeremy- a seminary student who asked why there isn’t any poetry about coffee)

In my mind I’m sitting next to God in an over-stuffed armchair in a coffee shop. I’m drinking a Caramel Macchiato and God has a Mocha with extra whipped cream. This is our conversation.

Me: Wow that’s good.
God: I know. When I created it I said it was good.
M:Well you were right. But if it’s good how come it keeps me up at night sometimes?
G: Just because it’s good doesn’t mean it can’t be misused.
M: Is it misused when we put milk and caramel in it?
G: What do you think?
M: I think it’s good.
G: Then you’re right.
M: If you were on earth again, would you buy coffee at Starbucks?
G: If I were on earth today, do you think I could afford to buy coffee at Starbucks?
M: Good point. Would you buy Equal Exchange?
G: What do you think?
M: Is it bad to drink it out of styrofoam?
G: That depends on how important you think my earth is.
M: Is coffee anything like nectar in heaven?
G: You’re confusing me with the Greeks.
M: Oh right, sorry. Is there coffee in heaven?
G: I’m not at liberty to say.
M: What are you, Secret Service?
(God laughs)
M: If Jesus had communion today, would he serve coffee instead of wine?
G: That might be less complicated.
M: Would it be regular or decaf?
G: Wine or grape juice?
M: Would Jesus hang out in coffee shops?
G: Maybe. I think might depend on if the band is good.
M:  Does Jesus like contemporary Christian music?
G: I’m not at liberty to say.
(I laugh)
M: Could Jesus cure a caffeine headache?
G: I think that might be a waste of Jesus’ gift, don’t you?
M: Did Adam and Eve have coffee in the Garden?
G: Where you think the knowledge of good and evil comes from? Apples?
M: But you said it was good.
G: And it was. You said it could be used for evil.
M: Actually you said that.
G: Oh, of course. (At this point God gets flustered and takes another sip of his Mocha  and gets whipped cream on God’s nose. We both laugh)
M: Did you invent whipped cream?
G: Oh come on.
M: What? Should I be asking you deep questions about life and stuff?
G: Isn’t that usually what you do at coffee shops?
M: Sometimes. Would you answer them?
G: Probably not.
M: Would Jesus use coffee in parables?
G: Maybe.
M: The kingdom of God is like a cup of coffee… Now you have to fill in the rest.
G: What do you mean?
M: I don’t know what the kingdom of God is like; you tell me.
G: Take a guess.
M: Okay, the kingdom of God is like a cup of coffee, sweet and warm and… full of energy?
G: Not bad, could use a little work though.
M: Well its better than the kingdom of God is like a Starbucks, ritzy and overpriced.
(God laughs)
We’re silent for a while. I pick up a Newsweek. I could ask God about news and why there is suffering and politics, but when you’re sitting in an overstuffed armchair next to God in a coffee shop that smells like caramel and God has whipped cream on God’s nose, it just doesn’t feel like the right time.

Yesterday I was quite thankful that my parents made it home through the hills of West Virginia. And then I spent the rest of the day with that special kind of depression I get when my parents leave. Sometimes Ohio is very far away.

Today I’m thankful for leftovers. We have several kinds in the fridge so I don’t have to think about cooking anything.

Today I’m thankful for friends who can loan me almond extract when I look at the bottle and don’t realize it is empty and start my recipe.

I am thankful for the Green Valley Book Fair and White Oak Lavendar Farm. Yay for unconventional Black Friday shopping.

PS. I feel very slightly guilty for not participating in “Buy Nothing Day,” but how often do I get to shop with my mom and dad.

Today I am very thankful for family to cook Thankgiving dinner for, my grandmother’s china to serve it on, and my father’s blackberry to take a photo of it. (photo to come!)

Two day work week and five day weekend! Woohoo!

Today (and nearly every day) I am thankful for my cat. I love her silly antics and I love it when she cuddles up with me at night.

Day 11- I am thankful for food and food related activities. Saturday I made food for the up-coming holiday with a friend. Then I ate good food with another friend, and then I went to a food-related movie, Julie and Julia. Yay food!

Day 12- I am thankful today for the work of the Holy Spirit. I was worship host this morning but had little to no time or energy to give to it this week. And yet the Holy Spirit worked and the service went very well. Just to prove to myself again that I am not the impetus for anything that happens in worship.

I am thankful for a good place to work. Even though I complain sometimes I have a hard time imagining that any other place would be so caring, understanding, helpful and even fun sometimes.

Today I am thankful for MSN Messenger which allows me keep in contact with my friend who lives in another state. It also allows us to watch our favorite television show “together.”