Susan's Reflections

The Coffee Shop was not Invented in Seattle

As a coffee lover, I was intrique by a blog written yesterday by 19th Century Historical Tidbits on the history of coffee shops. I was surprised to learn that coffee shops have existed for 200 years or more and were not started in Seattle. Seattle can claim, however, to have started the modern day revival of the coffee shops.

The 19th Century Historical Tidbits provides quotes from the book, “Coffee: It’s History, Cultivation, and Uses.” The book was written in 1982 by Robert Hewitt. One of these quotes describes the Tontine Coffee-House in the 1820’s. The blog also contained an interesting quote of people enjoying their coffee purchased from street coffee-stands in New York. Hewitt even attributes sharing a cup of coffee on the street with a diverse group of coffee drinkers as contributing to making people sociable. Finally, the blogs quotes Hewitt’s comments about the healthy attributes of coffee.

I was unable to provide a link to the blog, so I have copied it (it is short and concise) below for you to read.

I am married to a non-coffee drinker. Steve doesn’t like the taste of coffee and doesn’t comprehend the ‘social’ nature of coffee drinking. His parents both were regular coffee drinkers, but did not pass on that habit. I was destined to be a coffee lover. My grandmother give me coffee heavily laced with milk and sugar as a toddler. Iced coffee was a regular summertime drink in our home. I love coffee hot or iced (but never lukewarm). It is satisfying to me to know that I am helping to carry on a long-standing American tradition.

Coffee (by 19th Century Historic Tidbits)

Posted: 28 Jun 2012 04:30 AM PDT

Coffee is an essential part of many people’s lives these days. In the 19th century it also had it’s place. In 1872 a book “Coffee: It’s History, Cultivation, and Uses” by Robert Hewitt.

In the preface he writes:
If occasion for enthusiasm is found in discussing the merits of roasted pig, surely very much stronger is the argument in behalf of roasted Coffee.

Another interesting comments:
The European, the Creole, the New Englander, the men of the West and the far-off Orient, all visit the coffee-stands. While partaking there is for the instant a touch of nature which makes mankind akin, for it is observable that the recipients of the morning cup of pure Java are sociable. Artificial distinctions are discarded in the very act of drinking in the crowded market, or even standing in the open street. But it is the very thing, this mixture of the rude and the refined, that adds zest to the “open-air cup of coffee.” The merry twinkle of the eye of the attendant quadroon, her quiet manners, her attentive observance of the wants and tastes of the various customers, the very polish of the tall copper kettle, the jet of steam, the whiteness of the crockery, constitute associations that, once realized, one never forgets, and justly places coffee among the most grateful, innocent, and healthful things that we Americans include among the necessaries of life.

The coffee-houses of New York are intimately associated with the history of the city.

* * *
“In 1826 and 1827 the Tontine Coffee-House was in the hands of John Morse, who had formerly kept the old StageHouse at the corner of Church and Crown streets, New Haven. He turned the entire house into a tavern, and it so remained for several years. The first floor was in one room, running the full length of the house, and fronting Wall street. At the back of the room, extending nearly its whole length, was the old-fashioned bar. Jutting out from the counter were curious arms of brass, supporting the thick, round, and mast-like timber on which the heavy dealers leaned while ordering refreshments. About the room were numerous small tables, and after supper, in fair weather, around the tables could be seen many of the wealthy city men, diminishing the contents of their pewter mugs, or planning, amid the curling smoke in the room, their operations for the next day. Morse was not successful in the Tontine, and was finally sold out for the benefit of ‘whom it might concern.’

* * *
Taken in moderation, especially if combined with sugar and milk, coffee is unquestionably the most wholesome beverage known. In a medical point of view, it has been regarded as a cerebral stimulant and anti-soporific, and an antidote to opium. As a medicine, it should be strong, and taken lukewarm.
Coffee, when taken early in the morning before rising, sometimes alleviates an attack of asthma or coughing, and thus proves of great service to many sufferers. Still it must not be forgotten that it is a stimulant, and if taken too strong, or in too great quantities, may give rise to nervous complaints; and although for a time an aid to digestion.
* * *

Girls Ministries Honor Celebration

Last night our church held its annual Girls Ministries Honor Celebration. The Girls Ministries program includes seven club and ministers to girls from birth through high school graduation. Our preschool clubs, Sunlight Kids and Rainbows, also includes little boys. The Honor Celebration marks the end of our “academic” year in Girls Ministries and celebrates the achievements of each girl and boy in the program.

Rainbows 1 — Our Rainbow club is made up of 3 and 4 year old boys and girls.

From the earliest ages, the children are taught Biblical principles. They earn badges by completing a unit consisting of 4 or 6 lessons and memorizing a memory verse for that unit. In the younger classes, those who complete the required number of units in their program graduate with “Honor” and are recognized as Honor Rainbows, Honor Daisies, and Honor Prims. The older classes require additional work, including Bible reading, memorizing the Assemblies of God Statement of Faith, and being tested on all their memory verses to be recognized as Honor Stars, Honor Friends, and Honor Girls Only.

One of the highlights of the program is being crowned an Honor Star. The Stars class is for girls in third through fifth grade. To be crowned an Honor Star, a young girl has to read the entire New Testament, complete 27 units and nine Honor requirements. Honor requirements include memorizing the names of the books of the Old and New Testaments, memorizing the Lord’s prayer, doing a study of the life of Christ, keeping a prayer journal, and memorizing several other scriptures. It is quite a feat for an 11-year old girl to complete the requirements to be recognized as an Honor Star.

Last night four of our girls were crowned Honor Stars. They are beautiful young ladies inside and out. I am very proud of them and all that they have accomplished.

: Three of our newly crowned Honor Stars with two of last year’s Honor Stars.

I have been privileged to be a part of Girls Ministries for more than 40 years, first as a girl in the program and since 1979 as a teacher. The Girls Ministries program, as well as our boys’ program called Royal Rangers, impart truths of God’s Word to children at a very young age and prepare them to be Christian leaders in the families, churches, and communities.

Having Sons = Trips to the ER

Having raised three energetic sons, my husband and I have made many trips to the emergency room. We recounted some of them as we sat in the ER last night with our son Jon who had been injured playing indoor flag football. Jon went deep for a long pass, got tangled up with a defender, and fell headfirst into the wall surrounding the field. Much of the wall is plexiglass so spectators can watch the game; however, this particular corner section was wooden. Jon had a mild concussion, a sprained wrist, and a gash in his head requiring seven staples.

I should add that Jon is 25, married, and the father of a nearly 2-year old son. Jon first decided to join the adult flag football league a year and a half ago. He tore his ACL in the first game and had to sit out an entire year. He played his first full season earlier this year relatively injury free. This second ten-week season has been a different story. He fractured his left thumb in a game three weeks ago but continued to play. His team was playing for the division championship last night, so Steve and I decided we should go to cheer him on. His wife Ashley stayed home with their little one. He played about 10 minutes before being injured. Hearing his head crash into the wall, my maternal instincts kicked in. I hurried down the sidelines to see him sitting up and alert, with blooding running down the side of his head behind his ear. I knew immediately that Steve and I would be making the trip to the ER with him.

Jon's head with staples — Jon’s latest injury required seven staples.

Since our sons are all in the mid-twenties, it would be logical for this to have been our first ER visit with an injured son in many years, but that is not the case. We hurried to the ER in the early hours of a cold morning in January of this year after our oldest son Chris scalded his hand with hot oil. (See Jan. 7 blog for details.)

When our sons were at home, we made numerous visits to the doctor’s office or the ER for stitches and occasionally to set a broken bone. We had particularly a scary visit when Matt at age 6 got a twig in his eye; the eye quickly swelled and Matt screamed in pain. After it was removed, he could not read even the largest letter on the eye chart. He had to wear a patch for two weeks and, thankfully, his vision was fine when th patch was removed. The bloodiest injury was when Chris gashed his foot on an oyster shell. Blood poured from his foot. Because oyster shells are full of bacteria, the doctor could not stitch his foot. The gash had to be left open and the foot soaked for several days to prevent infection. It continued to bleed for hours.

Jon and Ashley are expecting their second son in October. Their first son is as busy and active as his father was at that age and I sure the new one will be as well. Although I wish it weren’t so, I have no doubt that these little boys will have their fair share of injuries and that Jon and Ashley have many trips to the ER ahead of them. It’s simply unavoidable when you’re raising sons.

Recommitting to Living Intentionally

In late February I wrote a blog about choosing “My One Word” for 2012. I choose the word intentional and declared my intentions of “focusing my time and energy on what is truly important rather than simply responding to situations that present themselves.” It’s now mid-June and the year will soon be half over. It’s time to take stock of how I’ve done, and the scorecard is not encouraging, although it is not as dismal as I thought it might be.

I previously declared my goals to be intentional (1) in getting deeper into God’s Word and growing closer to Him, (2) in seeking His will for every aspect of my life, (3) in putting relationships ahead of accomplishing a to-do list, and (4) in taking steps to maintain my health, which will include losing weight and exercising more. I also declared that I would spend less time mindlessly watching whatever show happens to be on television or surfing the Internet, less time playing Solitaire and Angry Birds, and less time stressing over situations that may or may not occur and that won’t matter to me a week later.

Of course, as soon as you declare a course of action, it seems as if life conspires to interfere with your plans. Shortly after writing my Intentional blog, we made an offer on a house, my brother-in-law died Bob unexpectedly, we closed on our house and moved, and we began a major renovation project. Chaos ensued and I found myself reacting to situations rather than focusing my time and attention in productive ways. We are now somewhat settled into the new house, we are adjusting to the big hole left in our lives by Bob’s absence, and the master bath renovation is awaiting shower doors to be complete.

It’s time to get my life back to some semblance of normalcy and my focus back on being intentional in my actions. During this period of great distractions, I was faithful in my daily devotions. I start each day by spending time reading the Bible and asking God to help me glorify Him in all that I do. I think it is human nature to seek God’s help and draw closer to Him in troubled times and that was certainly true for me. That is the positive side of the scorecard.

On the negative side, I’ve fallen back into old habits of playing solitaire and wasting time reading meaningless tripe on the Internet. I justify these time-wasting activities as stress relief; however, I am generally more stressed afterwards because nothing has been crossed off my to-do list. I have managed to lose 4 pounds–not much for four months of denying myself bread and potatoes, but at least it is a loss and not a gain. It probably goes without saying that I haven’t been exercising. And I haven’t been writing. My third novel which was to be completed by May 1 is no further along than it was in February.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines repent as “to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one’s life.” That sounds like a good plan for my life. So, I hereby repent of my lack of living intentionally and declare that I will turn from my sin and rededicate myself to those noble goals which I set earlier this year. For the remainder of 2012, I will live intentionally and make the most of each day and each opportunity to grow in my relationship with God and those most important in my life and to improve my health.

Living Through a Major Renovation

Steve and I moved recently into a home that, while relatively new, needed some renovations, particularly in the master bathroom. We had hoped to have the master bath remodeled before we moved in, but for reasons beyond our control, that did not occur. Thus, we find ourselves in the midst of a major renovation project.

Home remodeling projects are never fun, easy, or inexpensive. We have tended to buy newer homes and have generally limited home upgrades to cosmetic changes, such as painting or changing the floor coverings. Our largest projects prior to the current one involved converting a screened porch into an office and finishing a portion of a basement. Neither of those projects inconvenienced us much.

Renovating the master bathroom, however, is a totally different story. Naturally, we had to remove all of our belongings from the bathroom and relocate them to the small guest bath down the hall. Since the closet is accessed through the bathroom, we had to empty the closet. Our clothes are distributed among the closets in the three extra bedrooms. Unfortunately, for the sake of time, we did not perform this task in any organized manner. Getting dressed in the morning requires a search through all the closets for the desired clothing.

The existing tub and shower had to be gutted. At the end of the first day of demolition, construction dust coated every piece of furniture in the master bedroom. That night we vacuumed the carpet, dusted the furniture, and washed the bedding. Then we covered every inch of the bedroom with plastic drop clothes. Again this was done without proper forethought. I wish I had retrieved clothing I would need from the dresser, but alas I did not. At least I know where the desired items are as I fight my way through the yards of plastic covering the dresser. The first time we had to access the answer machine on the night stand, we moved it into the guest room, as well.

More plastic is adhered to our staircase and upstairs hall. It keeps the debris off the carpet but not off our feet. I avoid going upstairs as much as possible because I don’t like getting bits of plaster stuck to the soles of my feet. No matter how much we sweep, we cannot get it all up. I look forward to the day we pull the plastic up and I feel carpet under my feet again.

Remodeling is messy, it’s inconvenient, it’s time consuming, and it’s costly. So why are we putting ourselves through this process? We do it for the end result, of course. We are expecting to have a beautiful master bathroom that meets our needs when the remodeling is complete. And although it feels like the remodeling has been going on forever, the entire project should be completed in only a few weeks. We are willing to endure a short period of unpleasantness in order to achieve the desired finished product. We look forward to the day very soon when our master bathroom will be completed to our specifications and will once again be a usable part of our home.

As I have watched the bathroom transformation, I have been reminded of the way God moves in us to transform our hearts and reform us to be useful for His needs. Our old bathroom was operational but it didn’t meet our needs. The old fixtures had to be demolished and the space cleaned of all the debris before the workers could install the new fixtures. God has to rid our lives of everything that hinders His work before we can be fully useful to Him. Sin has to go, of course, but also bitterness, pain, and unforgiveness. When we give those things to God, He removes them from our hearts and fills the empty spaces with His love, peace, forgiveness, and understanding. The old has to give way to the new. The process is often messy and painful but the end result is more beautiful than we could have imagined.

I’m looking forward to the day that my bathroom renovation is complete and even more so to the day that my personal renovation is complete and I stand in the presence of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

If your life needs a renovation, Jesus Christ is the answer.

Sneak Peak at Restorations

The following excerpt is from my first novel Restorations, published by Oak Tara in October 2010. I hope you enjoy it.

If you would like to read a longer sample, please email me at susan@susaneball.com. Restorations is available on Amazon and Christian Book Distributors.

From her lounge chair strategically placed under the shade of a large oak tree, Karen looked up from the book she was reading and took stock of her family. Her husband, Jeff, frolicked in the lake with their youngest son, Kyle. Their middle son, Austin, had tired of the water and was playing Frisbee with a redheaded boy he had befriended. Trevor, the oldest, was trying to make small talk with a blonde in a tiny pink bikini. At twelve years of age, he had recently discovered girls and was wasting no time in getting to know the opposite sex better.

As Karen surveyed the scene, she felt a deep sense of contentment. It really doesn’t get much better than this, she thought. A lovely spring day at the lake surrounded by those she loved best. Karen picked up the romance novel and continued her reading.

After a while, Jeff brought Kyle to Karen and said he was going to swim to the small island in the middle of the lake. Jeff was an excellent swimmer, and the short swim out to the island and back posed no serious challenge. Karen occupied herself with toweling Kyle off and changing him into shorts and a T-shirt. She began gathering up the wet towels and sunscreen. It was almost time to head for home. When she cast her gaze back to the lake, Jeff was about thirty feet from shore and struggling to keep his head above the water.

“Jeff! Hang on, Jeff! I’m coming.” Karen’s heart pounded in her chest as she raced to the dock and grabbed the life ring. She tossed it in Jeff’s direction, but it fell short of his reach. She pulled on the rope until she could reach out and grab the ring and toss it again. Karen threw it over and over, as far as she could, but each time it landed a little short. Jeff was only able to get his fingertips on the ring once before it slipped from his grasp.

“Help us! Someone, please help us!” Karen yelled at the top of her lungs as she continued to throw out the life preserver.

A man and woman had been walking around the lake and heard Karen’s screams. The woman called 911; the man joined Karen on the dock, offering his assistance. By this time, Jeff’s head had disappeared in the murky water. The man dove in but didn’t find Jeff.

The man and woman stayed with Karen and the children, as the rescue divers searched for Jeff’s body. There was no hope now. Karen pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. “You did everything you could,” the woman told her.

“It wasn’t enough.” Karen sobbed and repeated over and over, “It wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough.”

*******

“It wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough.” Karen Harper’s plaintive cries awakened her from her sleep. Her heart thundered in her chest. Her curly auburn hair was drenched with sweat. What’s happening?

Bolting upright, she opened her eyes and tried to focus. The room was dark. She reached out until her hand found the nightstand. She felt around for the lamp and turned it on.

“A dream. I was only dreaming.” Karen breathed deeply, trying to slow her racing heart. She closed her eyes again and shuddered. It seemed so very real. She could feel the warmth of the sun and the sand beneath her feet. She saw the panic on Jeff’s face as he realized he was going under and the scared faces of her children. Enough. Her heart was racing again. She shook herself and tried to clear her mind of the horrible dream.

If asked, Karen would say she never dreamed. She knew, of course, that everyone dreams, so certainly she must. But she could never recall having dreamed. Nightmares, however, were a different story. She could recall nightmares in vivid detail.

As she sat in her bed, trying to make sense of this nightmare, Karen recalled one from several years earlier. In that nightmare, Karen’s extended family had gathered for a reunion. The children were playing ball and running around, while the adults sat in lawn chairs eating hamburgers and catching up on each other’s lives. Suddenly, her father grabbed his chest and collapsed on the ground in front of her. She had crouched on the ground beside him and sobbed into his chest as he died.

Her sobs had awakened Jeff, who gently took her in his arms and stroked her head, whispering, “It was only a dream.” It had seemed so real that it took several minutes before Jeff could convince Karen that her father had not suffered a heart attack. “Your family has never even had a reunion,” Jeff had reminded her.

Even after all these years, she could visualize her father as he lay on

the ground gasping for breath. Despite the fact her father was still alive and well, Karen’s pulse quickened anytime she thought of that nightmare.

This morning Jeff was not there to comfort and console. This nightmare, while not based on reality, was accurate in its conclusion. Jeff was dead. He had been for nearly two years. Karen had tried to rescue him and had failed miserably. For the first several months after his death, she had been haunted day and night by the horrible series of events surrounding Jeff’s death. She had frequently awakened with a start, as she had this morning, frantic to save him.

Over and over, she had been plagued by questions for which she had no answers. “Could I have saved him if I’d tried harder? Is it my fault he’s dead?” “If I had been a better wife, would Jeff still be alive?” As time passed, she had to set aside her constant thoughts of him. There was nothing she could do for him now, except raise his sons to be the men he wanted them to be. As a single mother to three young boys, Karen had no time for guilt or self-pity. She had to provide for her family.

Grand Canyon Photos

Here’s a few pictures from our recent trip to the Grand Canyon. The pictures cannot capture the vastness and enormity of this beautiful spot. Standing on the rim looking in the canyon is breath-taking.

I had not expected trees to grow in the canyon. Many spots are barren, but in other places trees grew abundantly on the walls of the canyon. Such was the case in this spot near Mather Point. You can also see the layers of red rock in this picture.

We were surprised by the variety of color in the rock strata. In contrast to the brilliant red rocks in the last picture, these rocks looked as if they had been bleached white.

Our first elk-sighting was unexpected and exciting. We were walking around the rim near the Aavapai Point, when she walked out of the woods several feet from us.

Grand Canyon Sunset Proposal

Steve and I have just returned to our hotel room near the Grand Canyon after witnessing a spectacular sunset and a proposal. The two events provided a fitting ending to a great day spent at one of our nation’s most beautiful and unique national parks.

Tomorrow is our 31st wedding anniversary. We are celebrating by spending a week in Las Vegas and at the Grand Canyon. This is the first trip for both of us to the Grand Canyon. We drove over from Las Vegas this morning and arrived about noon. We spent the afternoon walking the Rim Trail, soaking in the beauty and diversity of the canyon.

After dinner we returned to the park to watch the sunset over the canyon. We had been told that the sunset is the most spectacular from Hopi Point. Of course everyone else visiting the Grand Canyon has been told the same information. Wanting to get a good vantage point, we arrived about an hour before sunset. Two young people invited us to share their bench. We chatted a bit and learned they are from Belguim and are visiting the United States for the first time.

Steve offered to take a picture of the couple with the canyon in the background and the young man reciprocated. Later we took pictures of each other as the sun peaked out from behind a cloud near the horizon. Near sunset the girl got my attention and squealed, “Look!” while holding out her right hand. A diamond sparkled on her ring finger–a diamond that hadn’t been there a few moments earlier.

We offered our congratulations and joked that she needed to move the ring to her left hand while she is in America. She had him move it for her. Of course, we took more pictures. It turned out they were staying at the same hotel as us, so we offered them a ride back and spent another hour visiting with them.

To this young couple, we offer not only our heart-felt congratulations, but also our best wishes. May their love grow through the years as they face many joys and hardships together. May you weather good times and bad times knowing that they can get through anything as long as they are together. When life is stressful and feelings are hurt, may they remember the joy of this day as they watched the sunset over the Grand Canyon and dreamed of a future together. I hope their marriage is as rich and full as ours has been for the last 31 years.

Steve and I will never forget the joy and pleasure of sharing this special moment with new acquaintances. Have you unexpectedly witnessed a marriage proposal? Or perhaps you were part of someone’s proposal? We’d love to hear about your experiences.

Mom’s Cross-Country Plane Trip

On of the legendaries stories in our family is of my mother’s plane trip from California to North Carolina. The year was 1961. We had been living in Oceanside, CA, for the past two years, while my father was stationed at Camp Pendleton. When Dad got orders to Okinawa, Mom decided to move to Salisbury, North Carolina, where Dad’s extended family lived.

The trip was remarkable for a number of reasons. For starters, it was Mom’s first flight. I don’t think she had any idea what to expect, which in hindsight was probably a blessing. Had she known how stressful the flight would be, she may have decided to stay in California. Two plane changes and a missed connection complicated the flight.

Secondly, she was traveling not only with me, but also with my three sisters. Sharon, the oldest was 4, while Nancy was only 6 weeks old. Jeanne and I were in the middle. I can’t imagine going to the grocery store with four preschoolers, much less flying cross-country. I take my hat off to my mother for being brave enough, or perhaps naive enough, to get on a plane with the four of us.

The flight was also remarkable in that Mom’s survival depended on the kind assistance of total strangers. Fortunately, her fellow passengers were eager to help. After Jeanne kicked a tray of food in Mom’s lap, a young Marine offered to hold the baby. He disappeared into another section of the plane. Mom didn’t see him or Nancy until the end of the flight. He took good care of Nancy and returned her after assisting Mom off the plane. Others helped keep Sharon and I in our seats after we decided to run up and down the aisle.

However, the most remarkable aspect of the flight was the reason Mom was returning to North Carolina. Mom and Dad met as students at Catawba College in Salisbury. They were married on Christmas Eve 1955, in the midst of Mom’s junior year of college. She finished the year and took some summer classes but dropped out before completing her degree when she learned Sharon was expected. With Dad gone for a year, Mom decided to go back to school and finish her college degree. She reasoned that Dad’s parents, grandparents, and an assortment of aunts and uncles would provide plenty of help taking care of the four of us girls.

Mom finished her degree that year, majoring in biology and becoming certified as a teacher. Dad returned safely from Okinawa and the family moved to Parris Island. Mom and Dad would have five more children and Mom never become a paid school teacher. However, she taught us children many lessons and skills by incorporating teaching into every day tasks and reading aloud to us until I was out of elementary school.

It never mattered to any of us that Mom didn’t “use” her degree. The fact that she went to such great lengths to earn it demonstrated the importance of education and the value of hard work. When I interviewed for a college scholarship, I was asked who my role model was. That was an easy question. Mom was my role model then and she continues to be my role model. She placed a high value on education, but she placed an even higher value on serving and caring for her family. When I had children, I strove to live up to the example she set and prioritizing raising my children above career success and achievement.

Thanks, Mom, for making that incredible cross-country flight more than 50 years ago. Thanks for modeling the importance of hard work and education while teaching us that family is the most important part of your life. And, especially, thank you for allowing Jesus Christ into your life and sharing His love and plan of salvation with the rest of us.

I love you, Mom. Happy Mother’s Day!