Morning Coffee Beans - Short Stories From The Heart

Featured Short Story

One morning I was getting the children ready for school. It was the usual busy morning with the kids running around to find their socks and school books. I was late for work, and the bus was due soon. I felt my job as a mom was to make sure everyone was nicely dressed, fed, and thoroughly prepared for the day ahead.

I’m not even sure what I was making for breakfast. I know it was fast. The children were not moving as quickly as I thought they should, making me irritable. As many mothers do, I gave orders left and right.

My daughter came into the kitchen and said, “Mom, would you come with me a minute.”

My answer was, “I don’t have time. We are all going to be late. You will have to find your stuff this morning.” Sound familiar? However, she was persistent. Finally, her brothers joined her in coaxing me out of the kitchen. Consequently, after much protest, I agreed to go with them if they would hurry up.

They asked me to close my eyes when we entered the living room. I was having a bad morning, and this exercise was taxing my patience, but reluctantly, I agreed. The children took my hand and led me onto the fro...

My Latest Featured Stories

Take care of yourself

Wouldn’t it be sad if you had to wait until the people you love died before you began to take care of yourself?

I met a 65-year-old lady named Pat this week who said that is what happened to her. She has lost 680 pounds in the last seven years and 280 in the previous two years.

“Wow, that is a lot of weight, I told her. What made you decide to lose the weight, and how did you do it”.

“Well, when my second husband died, I thought it was time to take care of myself, she said. So I took care of my f...

Barefoot Summer

Our bare feet grew tough, our hair turned to gold, and our bodies browned and freckled in the sun that pursued us on long hot summer days.

Across the dirt road where we lived, there was an old abandoned building. Bushes, high grass, and broken tree limbs hid it from the road, but we found it and made it our secret clubhouse.

We swept the dust from one side of the room to the other and put a cardboard box in the middle of the vast open space for a table and cement blocks around for chairs.

We hid our peanut butter and cra...

Father’s Day Forgiveness

A few months ago, I read a quote that said, “It’s never too late to have a happy childhood.” It made me stop and think.

Recently I bought a yellow rose bush. I am working on creating a small rose garden in front of our house since we removed all the Juniper bushes.

The yellow rose bush reminds me of when my sister visited me in Texas. I had started to prepare a flower garden in front of our new home but hadn’t decided what kind of flowers I wanted to plant yet.

When she got out of the car,...

Children Do As They See

The older man was small and stooped over. His steps were careful as he carried his tray to the restaurant table where I was having dinner. I could see relief in his face and muscles as he reached his destination, set his load down, and eased his weak body into a chair. The woman sitting down beside him was his daughter.

When the man had difficulty cutting his meat, she patiently took the knife from his hand and cut the large portion into small pieces, perhaps the same way he did for her when she was a child. It is always very touching...

Super Nana

One minute I was a Super Nana, the next minute, I was lying on the tennis court floor trying to breathe.

When our grandchildren come for the holidays, it is fantastic, fun, and exhausting. But, unfortunately, the exhausting part has nothing to do with how much we enjoy them.

It is what my husband says to me all the time. “Honey, you have done enough. You don’t have to bake a cake, too!”

My daughter took charge of the Easter holidays this year. All the things that I usually work so hard on, she turned in...

Sarcasm Can Leave Emotional Scars

When my friend walked by my desk looking sharp in her stylish black suit, I remarked how great she looked. She said she had just come out of a senior management meeting. “Is that your senior management suit?” I asked. We laughed, and she would say something funny to me about my casual dress.

We were a little sarcastic, and it was funny. It lightened up our day because we were friends and wouldn’t do anything to hurt each other.

But there are times when sarcasm hurts. Even the word can leave a bad taste...

An Educational Gift for My Children

The older gentleman in the hall outside the classroom was dressed very professionally. He wore a brown tweed jacket, dark brown trousers, a striped shirt, and a sharp-looking tie. His hair was gray, and his glasses made him look very wise. So I figured he must be the professor of the class I was about to enter.

When the door opened, 25-30 college students, dressed in an array of youthful outfits, funneled in and sat down, ready to start the new semester.

I sat in the middle near the wall just in case I changed my mind and decid...

Trails, like rules, are there for a reason

“Trails are there for a reason; my husband always told me when we were hiking. The high grass and wooded areas can be dangerous”. His warnings were usually confirmed by the posted signs that instructed people to stay on the trails.

The problem was that I had a hard time staying on the trail. My curiosity about what I couldn’t see compelled me to follow sounds that I couldn’t identify. Often I went off the trails to get photos of birds, such as the Painted Bunting and the Scarlet Tanager soaring out of my cam...

The Power of Compassion

Sympathy looks in and says, "I'm sorry.”Compassion goes in and says, "I’m with you.“

Sympathy looks in and says, "I would like to help."Compassion goes in and says, "I am here to help."

Sympathy says, "I wish I could carry your burden."Compassion says, "Cast your burden on me."

Sympathy often irritates with many words.Compassion helps and hears in quietness and understanding.

-Author Unknown

There is a difference between sympathy and compassion that demonstrates the critical effect of ...

Having Fun at the Mediavine Conference 2019

“Blogging is so much more than writing,” the woman told me when I introduced myself as a writer at the Mediavine conference I recently attended. Her words were a meer peek into what I would learn in the next three days.

I have been a professional freelance writer for 30 years. I am a retired nurse and health educator, so I have written for many health venues, but as a Christian writer and speaker, my passion is to write stories that educate and encourage my readers.

The difference between writers and blogger...

Winter Blues

I found a plush, warm, gray sweater that seemed to wrap itself around me with deep pockets and tried it on. It felt so good, but when I looked into the mirror, I saw my husband behind me shake his head no. “No?” I asked. “Why not?”

“Because it’s gray. Choose a colorful one, he said. You’ve had a lot of gray days lately,” he said. He was right. I loved watching the snow falling this week and the beautiful, mysterious mounds it creates, but not getting outside enough affects my mood.

<...

Laughter

My daughter reminded me one morning of the importance of laughter in our lives. She was sitting on the floor, playing and laughing loudly with her six-month-old daughter.

I listened as her laughter and my granddaughter’s giggles filled all the space around me. She said she wanted to always feel this kind of joy and see the world through her child’s merry eyes.

We talked about the carefree laughter of childhood before we had bills to pay and so many responsibilities.

I asked my daughter, &#...

Featured Short Story

Take time to enjoy mornings

My Latest Featured Stories

Take care of yourself

Barefoot Summer

Father’s Day Forgiveness

Children Do As They See

Super Nana

Sarcasm Can Leave Emotional Scars

An Educational Gift for My Children

Trails, like rules, are there for a reason

The Power of Compassion

Having Fun at the Mediavine Conference 2019

Winter Blues

Laughter

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Feeling Safe As A Family

Our Crafty Gift Moments

SUNFLOWERS

National Wear Red Heart awareness

God Knows What We Need

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