A Coffee Date // June 13
My dearest friend Amber is the queen of coffee date blog posts, and I was so excited when I saw her and another sweet friend Erin chatting about joining forces to make them into a link-up! These posts are a fun way to catch up, share all sorts of the best things in life, and feel like we're connecting despite distance and computer screens and all that.
So...
If we were on a coffee date, I would treat you to a Pink Drink. Because when a secret Starbucks menu item blows up in popularity on Instagram, you figure out how to make it and teach your barista because it's sweet heavenly summer in a cup, and you need one.
If we were on a coffee date, I would ask how you're grieving for our world. Because I am. My heart feels heavy, but I'm clinging to the hope we have in Him. I spent so long scrolling and reading and mourning and crying and wrestling, because this tragedy has now topped the others with its numbers, and that's sickening. I then stepped away from it all, turned the phone off, turned the noise off, and sat in silence, because I needed to come to Jesus and remember He is still good. It is good to be informed and aware of the bad in this world. It is also good to get off the Internet and be reminded of the good. How are you finding that balance to be?
If we were on a coffee date, I would ask if you watched the Tony Awards too. Did you also freak out at Hamilton? Did you also wish the waiting lists weren't years long to buy tickets?
If we were on a coffee date, I would ask about the people in your corner. I would want to hear your stories of how those people have pulled you up by your bootstraps when you wanted to give up. I would want to hear what questions they asked you that got your gears turning again. I would want to hear how you're pushing onward because they're cheering you on. I would then tell you that the people spurring me on are Holly and Taylor, and if you don't know them, you should. The Rising wouldn't exist without them.
If we were on a coffee date, I would tell you I've set a stack of books before myself for the summer, and I would confess that it's not going so well. I was shocked by how much I read in May, and I've only finished one book so far in June, and we're halfway through. I shouldn't be surprised... I'm a rebel (says this test from genius Gretchen Rubin) and I push back against expectations like these. Now tell me, what are you?
If we were on a coffee date, I would ask about your antidotes. What are the things that soothe your soul when you're feeling frazzled? What brings you back to Jesus, to hope, to peace again? How do you remember to choose joy?
If we were on a coffee date, I would share what I'm learning about rhythms. To be honest, it's a fight for me to lean into rhythms. Again, I'm a rebel, so I crave freedom and independence and flexibility with my life... but I'm learning the beauty of putting things into practice and sticking with it. Like my 100 day project. Like weekly yoga in the park. Like mornings in Luke. Like evenings in Acts. What rhythms do you have beating through your days? Tell me more.
If we were on a coffee date, I would whip out my journal to show you what I've started. I used to be the girl frantically trying to write down every word the pastor said on a Sunday morning, and now, I'm doing things differently.
If we were on a coffee date, I'd tell you there aren't two more loyal and loving friends than Amber and Erin, and I would raise a glass and cheers to them both for hosting a place we can share.
Past coffee date posts...
A Virtual Winter Coffee Date (Jan. 2016)
BLOG-TEMBER: A Farewell Coffee Date (Sept. 2015)