On the Half Shell – Living in the Raw

I lit the fireplace this morning. The heat was on, but I just felt as though I needed the extra warmth. And besides, I like the glow in the den while the house is still quiet and at peace. As the fire cast shadows on the ceiling as the ceiling fan turned (yes, I am that person who runs the ceiling fan regardless of the time of year or the temperature), a thought came to mind. Although there is cold and there are dark shadows around us, light is light. HIS light. HE is there. HIS light is there for us – to bask in – to warm in. HE is HERE. EUCHARISTEO.

Lighting that fire this morning was a reminder of how HIS word has lit my fire. I hunger for it. I ache for it. I wake during the night thinking that I will soon be able to rise and begin anew with HIM.

I recently purchased a bag of whole bean coffee at TJ Maxx (ahhhh my fave). I loved the packaging, AND it is bourbon infused. I mean what could be better than bourbon infused coffee. AM I RIGHT??? However, I did not have, in my possession, a coffee grinder. So the coffee purchase then led to the purchase of a coffee grinder. (See yesterday’s post about constantly having the need for MORE when I absolutely do NOT NEED A THING MORE – Jesus, take the wheel). Since my purchase a few weeks ago, I grind myself some for my mid-morning cup, and I will have a teaspoon or so left that I put into a sweet little container with a wood lid that my precious daddy turned for me years ago. But it’s never enough to make another cup. ANYWAY, for my first two cups of coffee during my early morning quiet time, I like Folgers 1850. To my disdain this morning, I was OUT, which meant that if I wanted coffee that I would have to grind some. Now here’s the thing. It’s 5:20AM. NOONE but me is awake. I don’t WANT anyone but me awake. HMMMM. Do I stomp on the coffee beans like grapes like in the LUCY show all those years ago? The grinder will certainly wake the Little Man, and I am not ready for him. Not just yet. If I take the grinder to the laundry room, it will echo through the house. No. That won’t work. So, I grab the coffee and the grinder and head into the garage. But again, it will echo in there and reverberate through the house just like the garage door opener. SO. I gather my things, head into the storage room off the garage, flip on the light, move all sorts of stuff out of the way (again – see the post about having too much stuff already), find a plug in and grind away. Today, I’m smart enough to grind some extra – enough to fill up my sweet little container. I quietly leave the storage room, tiptoe through the garage to the back door (like if they didn’t hear the grinder, they’re not going to hear my tiptoeing, but whatever). To my delight, apparently no one has heard a peep.

FEBRUARY 1, 2023