Saturday, November 25, 2006

Coffee Culture

What is it about a cup of coffee that illuminates the soul? A haunting aroma reunites old friends, and inspires the writer--as some intellectual aphrodisiac seducing the imagination. It is a phenomenon that has preserved conversation in the face of modern complication, and yet somehow, no cosmopolitan is complete without it. For many, it is the local "Cheers," where everybody knows your name. For me, it is a haven--a sanctuary of sorts. I slow down, and savor, and contemplate...and perhaps that is the lure.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Frozen Smiles to Chase Love Away

I, like most people, have been known to plaster a smile and personality on--pretending that I do not want someone to love me. Sometimes the performance is so convincing, that I believe it myself. I want to make a confession to all of you: I need love, and cannot make it on my own.

Neither can you.

I have caught myself looking for something real in people. Sitting in any random place, I might look at a certain person and try to imagine what their life has been like--try to recognize their humanity. There is such beauty in reality.


"Rise before me the signs implore me, 'Help the needy, and show them the way.' Human kindness is overflowing, and I think it's going to rain today."

God is the rain, and I am but a raindrop sent to fall on barren land. He will arise for the sighing of the needy, and set us all in the safety for which we all yearn. (see Psalm 12:5).