Starbucks

For those of you who know me well, you know for most of my adult life, my one addiction is coffee, or more specifically Starbucks. It got so bad in Houston, I would give up going to Starbucks for Lent. While it would last the solid forty days, as soon as Easter Sunday would hit, I'd be back in line at Starbucks sipping on my favorite mocha or latte.

The addiction continued in northern Virginia, as there was conveniently located a Starbucks right on the way to the church every morning. I discovered a solid third of my income was going to this little cup of Joe every morning! However, it was a place of fellowship, a gathering center for youth, the center of deep, private conversations and the best Bible studies always happened in Starbucks. It was the "safe" place to go outside of the church building to have great church activities!

Since moving to Vegas, I willed myself to get rid of the Starbucks addiction. After all, I was unemployed and did not have the need to have one-on-one meetings or counseling sessions. Certainly I did not have the income to spend on $4 cups of coffee. Plus, my dear staff-mates in Herndon gave me an amazing Keurig coffee maker, and this produces my cup of coffee every morning now. So far, so good, as I have rarely stepped foot into a Vegas Starbucks.

Today I am in Nashville and eagerly awaiting a meeting with my Living Waters boys. The hotel was not quite the place to "hang out" and enjoy the morning, and needing a wireless signal, I sought out a Starbucks. Coming in was like coming home. It's been so long since I've been in a Starbucks, but the smells, the chairs, the conversations, the joy...it's all the same!

It's the little things in life where we find joy, and today I am thankful for a little thing called Starbucks. While I've successfully willed myself away from addiction, I am nonetheless grateful to come in and come home.