December Newsletter - 2012 |
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All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" - which means, "God With us."
Matthew 1; Verse 23
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A husband and wife are fighting about who has to make coffee in the morning. The wife says "You wake up before me you should do it." The husband says "It's part of the cooking so it's your responsibility." "No." the wife says. "It's in the bible that the man makes coffee." The husband says "Prove it." The wife goes and gets the bible and sure enough there it is..."HEBREWS"
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Carrots, Eggs, And Coffee
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A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans.
She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?" "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft and mushy. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hardened egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee.
The daughter smiled as she tasted its deep flavor and inhaled its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "What's the point, mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity - boiling water - but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin, outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong? But with pain and adversity, do I wilt and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a fluid spirit but, after death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water - the very circumstance that brings the adversity, the pain, the hardship - into something quite wonderful. When the water gets hot, it releases it's fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better, and change the situation around you for the better.
When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level? How do you handle adversity?
ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG, OR A COFFEE BEAN?
(Somehow, wake up and smell the coffee takes on a whole new meaning)
Unknown Author
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Every once in a while I just need to read such as this to put my thoughts right...don't you know? In this season, it is always good to reflect on our believes, our needs, and our abilities. To always know that no matter what; we are able to change our surroundings because we are given a strength that will endure whatever comes our way.
Now, I like this story for a variety of reasons, but I must confess that the part about the coffee bean and the water really reaches down deep into my spirit...it is true you know that it is our heart and soul that comes out when we are faced with sorrow, pain, and other challenges...kinda like the beautiful color, smell, and taste of good coffee when brought to a boil!
Take care and sit back, sip on a good mug of The Alpaca Bean Coffee...and dream of ways to color your world with joy!!!
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Hint for the Holidays
Making the best cup possible...
Well, you have always heard that whole bean coffee stays fresher than ground...come on, you know you have! It is really kinda' true, but we need to know a bit more on this topic, or, at least, I feel we do. You see the big O is the enemy here...yep, oxygen. The very essence of life for living, breathing creatures, can be the downfall for our favorite brew, and, it affects both ground and whole bean coffee.
With that said...we must realize that O has a profound impact on ground coffee for the same reason ground coffee makes a better brew than simply running water over freshly roasted whole beans!!! I know, that is a bit far fetched, but let me explain. You might recall, I have often asked you to grind your coffee to a fine level so that you can get the most flavor. If you also recall, I pointed out often that the more edges that a coffee grind has, the more flavor ends up in the pot. Why? Well, flavor from coffee comes from water at the right temp passing over the surface of the bits of coffee in the brewing chamber...the more bits the more surfaces...or the finer the grind the more bits, etc.
Well, when you grind coffee, you also expose the surfaces to the big O, as well. This allows more O on the surfaces and thus faster oxidation...and the faster you will have a loss of taste or an increase in the stale taste of the coffee. Now, you might think that by simply not grinding the coffee you will maintain the flavor for an indefinite time...afraid it does not work that way either. You see, even though the whole bean does not offer the great amount of surfaces that ground coffee does...it does offer a surface for the big O to work on. So, if you place whole bean coffee in a coffee maker that grinds your coffee just before it brews...and you leave it in the maker for a long period of time. you will definitely notice a difference, as well.
Now, for the hint!!! For each holiday, order smaller bags of your favorite brew (whole or ground)...do not open the bags until the morning, afternoon or evening you will be making coffee for your friends and family. You will then enjoy better coffee, and your friends and family will ask you how you can always make such GREAT coffee!!! :o)
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On A Personal Note......
As I sit here in this warm room looking out at the cold wet almost winter day, I cannot help but think of the upcoming month of December. A month leading up to the new year...a year that many of us find it hard to believe...2014...wow!!! Now for those reading this piece that have no idea what it was like to live during the time of JFK...well, you probably also have no idea why it is so unbelievable that I find it hard to believe that I would be in the here and now, about to put my toes into a new year with the number 2014. That is ok, 'cause one of these days you will sit in wonder as you approach your mystical year.
You see the Coffeeman was born the year that WWII was winding down, there were no TV's, most of the roadways in and around my childhood towns of residence were made of red dirt, the recording medium was the 78 rpm record, the new fangled tape recorders used reel to reel technology, and the radio was AM not FM and certainly not anything close to stereo! And the radio stations operated from dawn to dusk...yep, in this ol' guy's life there have been so many changes that even change has changed!
Who would have thought that when a young president declared that we would be setting foot on the moon by the end of a ten year period...well, that we would be setting foot on the moon in less time than that. I truly believe that having a president with the ability to inspire this great accomplishment during a time of self doubt was the overall reason we are sitting where we are today. For those of us that remember back that far, we recall that we could not even put a dog into space...much less fathom putting men on another heavenly sphere.
So what is the big deal? Well for you to know what I mean, I will attempt to list (a partial list) of the things that have taken place over the last few decades...
1.TV
2. Air conditioning
3. Indoor plumbing for the masses
4. FM and FM Stereo
5. Satellite radio and TV
6. All sorts of types of TV's with the latest being over six feet in size
7. Smart cars, phones, and most anything else that has a small "computer" enclosed
8. Computers
9. Wireless everything
10. GPS available to everyone with the means to buy it
11. Robotics in auto manufacturing, surgeries, electronic component production, etc.
I could go on and on here...but you may be beginning to get my point...there have been so many, many "things" invented and improved upon over one lifetime. But you know...most of these "things" are really not needed and usually become obsolete in a year or two now days. The most important parts of our lives can be found sitting next to us at the dinner table...our loved ones.
Today is Thanksgiving and soon we will be celebrating the birth of Christ, and then the new year will arrive with its own changes...both good and bad. To tell you the truth, I for one, would not trade any of my relationships for any of the "toys" of the future. They are what makes me feel secure, with a life worth living...now, as some of you know, I also like toys...but I always pray that I will regard them for what they are...simply, in the moment distractions with little other meaning than that.
Peace, and May the Blessings on The Holiday Season Remain With You Throughout Your Years!
The Coffeeman
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