Make it a triple shot, please.

Latte, anyone?
I have a confession to make. I love lattes. Now, I'm not the worshipper of food. Although I do believe food is probably one of the greatest things God invented! It's so amazing what you can do with it and the ways we can create it to be so pleasing. Weird. Anyway, I do love lattes a great deal. Yes.

So, here's my question of the day. When I am emotionally heavy, or feeling a little blue (which is a lot lately because of my blue phase) the only real pick me up this earth can offer me is a latte. I like to add flavors too, either vanilla or carmel. Whipped cream is a must. Who can drink a hot beverage without it, really? But, what is it? Why does this immediately lift my spirits and make me happy, even for one small second? My best friend laughs at me when I take my first sip of coffee and say, "Thank you Jesus!" And this morning, when I was ordering my latte with a gift card I got, the "barista" said, "would you like any pastries or food with that?" I laughed and replied, "Coffee is my food, silly!" He also laughed and said, "absolutely!"

So, on to the other idea that lead to me buying a latte. My friend, Pamela, and I make fun of this rubber stamp they sell at this mega scrap booking monopoly we used to work at. It says, "Be Happy." We think it's about the dumbest thing to put on a stamp and then to place on a card that is possible. (NOTE: Please do NOT send me a card that says "Be Happy.")Maybe there's some psycho-babble that might support this statement as being accurate, but really, happiness is not something we choose. We just are, or we just aren't. I know for me, on days when I have said, "OK girl, pull up your bootstraps and be happy, dang it," it doesn't necessarily make me happy.

What makes me happy is a latte. And the sound of my children laughing together. Or the sight of my tulips peaking out in spring. Or the silence of freshly fallen snow. Or watching cheerleaders work really hard on TV. OR, even better, when I see it in the eyes of one of the kids I work with that they are understanding and receiving God's love. Now, that makes me happy. And all of those things, (children, tulips, snow, cheerleaders, God's love...) those are kind of unpredictable. It just happens, and viola! I am blessed.

So, here's what I've decided. Happiness is a blessing. When you have it and feel it, cherish it. It's God knocking on your door and saying hi. When you don't, then a triple shot carmel latte is in order friend, make it extra on the whipped cream.