CoffeeTime Articles
Just Put it on my Tab
Two elderly sisters, one widowed and the other never married, were living together. They had decided the year before that because the oldest owned her house, the younger should leave a rented apartment and move into her sister’s second bedroom. After the initial “Move...
Green Bean Cans and Eternity
Where does a person go after death? We need to understand one thing from the beginning. When you draw your last halting shallow breath on this earth, from that point on, you are winging it on your own, with no one to run interference for you. Family ties mean...
Basketball Referees and God
While watching our teenaged son play four years of high school basketball games years ago, we both noticed an absolute truth; Our son could not seem to grasp that he wasn’t able to block every shot that was put up by the opposing team. He obviously believed that it...
I Disagree with God Sometimes
I realize that not everyone sees life as I do. Probably nobody sees life exactly as I do. We are like snowflakes, and science tells us that no two snowflakes are the same. So I accept the fact that what I write in this column probably doesn’t peel your banana...
The Recipient of the Flying Shoe
You are a caregiver. That very much over-stressed, over-worked and under-appreciated person who along with probably many others, holds the anonymous title of WORLD’S MOST PATIENT PERSON. There are likely very few families among our population who have not experienced...
Hobbled Milk Cows and Tethered Horses
Recently sidelined, I know how a hobbled old milk cow looks at life, or what a horse tethered to the fence feels. Imprisoned, caged, confined. Stuck in one place with absolutely no say in the matter. And it is not fun. Reading is a favorite pastime of mine, that is...
Headlights That Bend
Sarah and Travis were trying to make it to his mom’s house that night before the storm hit. They had driven nonstop from Denver, except for filling the gas tank, buying fast food, and bathroom breaks. And those three events had to be perfectly timed to happen...
We Are Not Unisex, People!
Have you ever walked down the sidewalk, determined to be friendly and cheerful that particular day, and looked up to see someone coming toward you, but you couldn’t figure out whether to say “Good morning, sir” or Good morning, miss?” Bluntly put, you couldn’t tell if...
Tearing Down Your Own House
Oh, shoot. Why am I writing about this question? Do I have a hidden ‘Go ahead and kill me now, and get it over with’ complex in me somewhere? Here we go over hill and dale anyway, and consequences bedamned. THE QUESTION: How many “I really am sorry” will it take to...
Bunch of Baby Grownups
Years ago, a young couple left their almost-two-year-old son with his favorite baby sitter, Miss Elva. A few days later, she laughingly told them that he had come to her that evening, dragging his diaper bag behind him. Paul was a unique little boy who disliked...
The Seduction of Hopelessness
Do. Not. Give. Up. Giving up creates hopelessness. And hopelessness creates a huge black hole of depression and deadness in you. When you quit caring about anything in life, you stop living, even though your heart continues beating. Living in hopelessness means having...
From Oops to Wow!
Recently a man we know died in his nineties, after serving in the military until he retired and then had a long career as a police officer until retirement again. Jimmy covered his beat not in a patrol car or on foot, but on the back of a horse. At one point, he...
The Middle of the Wishbone
To paraphrase a comedian from years ago, “D’ya know what makes me sick?” No? Well, I can gladly tell you. And there will be no referring to the cost of eating, or heating the house, or driving across the street nowadays. Although I certainly could. The topic eating my...
Do You Dread Christmas?
Many people do. Many people find this particular holiday season to be full of heartache, or a nameless void. They can feel a myriad of unwelcome emotions that threaten to overwhelm and sink them into a black hole. Sadness, depression, loneliness, anxiety, or just the...
Is Someone Staying Miserable by Habit?
I am convinced of a truth after living all these years on this earth. Simply and baldly stated, there are some people who have bathed themselves in misery for years. And they truly do not want anyone to hand them a big thick towel to dry off. They experienced a severe...