Just a Cup o' Joe

Now, isn't this an incredibly handsome young Marine?!

As you can imagine, I've become a strong advocate of supporting our troops.  Whether they serve stateside or overseas, in a combat zone or an office, these are OUR people.  They depend on us to support them emotionally, mentally and spiritually while they defend us and others.  For anyone who thinks they don't have what it takes to start "a movement" to accomplish this, let me tell you - it doesn't have to be anything on a herculean scale!  It can be prayer quilts, care packages, or writing letters - almost anything you can think of to remind these brave men and women that they are NOT serving alone.  And you don't have to be the one to start it - just join in with someone else's effort, if you're looking for a way to help.

A group of ladies at my mom's church (thank you, Seward Road Baptist!) made a patriotic quilt for Nick.  They assembled it, tied it (which my mom helped with), and prayed over it.  He took it with him on his deployment - exactly what those sweet ladies intended for him to do!  This wonderful group of women has been making quilts for everyone in their community, from accident victims to troops deploying to those with debilitating illnesses, so while my mom didn't start the project, she was able to participate with them in their efforts.

Now, let me tell you about my favorite way to show our troops that I'm thinking of them and praying for them daily - the Cup of Joe for a Joe program through Green Beans Coffee Company.  (their motto - "Honor First, Coffee Second" - says it all, doesn't it?)  For just $2 per Cup of Joe, aka COJ, you can send a cup of coffee (or smoothie, or iced tea, or iced coffee) to troops serving overseas.  You can pick the amount you want to give, include a note of thanks to the troops if you like, and add your email so they can thank you personally.  You wouldn't BELIEVE how much a simple cup of coffee means to these men and women!  It's something we take so much for granted here in the States, with a Starbucks on every corner and hundreds of other ways to get our daily caffeine fix.  The gratitude I see in the thank you notes our servicemembers send is remarkable.  It's certainly a small sacrifice for me, but such a big boost for them!  I've heard several times that the cup of joe I provided was what turned a yucky day into a GREAT day. 

So, if you're looking for a way to connect with our troops, and provide something you know they'll appreciate and enjoy, check out the Cup of Joe for a Joe program here http://www.greenbeanscoffee.com/coj/.  It's super-easy, and I promise, you'll never regret it!

So blessed!

My Marine deploys tomorrow.  I'm concerned, as any mother would be, but I'm trusting the Lord to take care of my boy.  HIS boy.  The hardest thing I've ever done is place my son in the Lord's hands.  We moms are supposed to take care of everything, right?  Make the cupcakes for tomorrow's school party that we just found out about tonight at 8:30, kiss away the boo-boos, soothe the broken hearts, scare away the monsters, protect our kids from the bad things in the world.  But when your son is going halfway around the world, heading right to where the bad things are, you just can't protect them from that.  Only the Father can do that, but trusting Him with your baby while your Mother's Heart is still beating is the most wrenching thing ever!

Folks, I have to tell you, I'm more blessed than I could ever possibly deserve.  My neighbors (Upper AND Lower 4th Street!) have been around for a long time, since before this whole Marine Corps journey started, and tonight they have once again stepped up to support my son and our family.  My husband took me to dinner tonight after work.  Nothing unusual about that - we eat out pretty regularly.  On our way home, we slowed down and came to a stop at the stop sign at the end of our block.

And suddenly I saw it - a yellow ribbon on a tree.  Then, another yellow ribbon on another tree.  And I swear, it was just like the movies, when the whole scene just slowly comes into focus.  EVERY TREE on my block had a yellow ribbon tied around it!  I just sat there at the stop sign, stunned and sobbing.  I'm so thankful I only had one more block to drive, because I'm telling you, I couldn't see a thing through the tears!

My sweet, wonderful, precious neighbors had been planning this for days.  Bruce's job was to get me out of the house - they took care of the rest!  I couldn't have been more surprised, and they couldn't have done anything that meant more to me than this.  Just a hint: if you know someone who is deployed, or who has a loved one deployed, ribbon-up your tree.  They will appreciate it more than you will ever know!

Thank you Jackie, Neil, Sophie, Marissa and Aaron - you have blessed me beyond what words can express!

  

But where is it on a MAP???

Upper 4th Street has a nice little ring to it, doesn't it?  Sounds like a pleasant place to live, right?  Well, the correct answer to both of these questions is "yes".  But try finding the place on a map!  In my town, it doesn't exist -- unless you ask those of us who LIVE on 4th Street.  Oh, we know exactly where Upper 4th is, because we created it!

You see, it all started with my husband, the Brew-meister. (or, as he's also known, the Bruce-meister)  He's a home-brewer, and a very talented one, at that.  He makes terrific beer (or so I'm told, since I don't drink the stuff), and he happily shares it with our neighbors and friends.  There are informal block parties on a pretty regular basis on our street, and if there's something in the keg that's ready to be shared, well, you better believe that keg's coming out!  If there's nothing in the keg, never fear!  You won't have to drink cheap, yellow-water beer - at least not from our house - because Bruce won't allow it!  In his estimation, the various beers available in the local grocery stores are hardly worthy to even be called 'beer'.

Over time, he's turned many of our neighbors and friends into 'beer snobs'. (are they enlightened, or have they turned to the "dark side"??)  However, before that transformation, there was lots of teasing about Bruce's taste in beers.  And the comment was made by our neighbor Aaron (who lives on the other end of the block) that obviously there was higher-class beer served on "Upper 4th Street" than could be found on "Lower 4th Street" (where Aaron and his wife Marissa live).  And although the quality of beer served on Lower 4th Street is improving dramatically, the titles seem to be permanent.  Strangely enough, they've become more a common bond than divisive.

So now, on our street there is Upper and Lower, though no map will show the distinction.  Even so, it doesn't matter if you live on the east or west end - friends always seem to meet in the middle.

Until next time, be blessed.