Daylight Saving Time coffee

We have an automatic coffee maker. It has a timer and is set to begin pouring coffee into the pot at just the right time. This is all a part of the morning routine.

Typically, I am the first to rise. I usually get up well before dawn.

Among the first things I do is to empty the dishwasher and then fetch my morning coffee.

This ritual is a well-coordinated dance with crisp, precise movement and flow. It all begins by taking two coffee mugs from the dishwasher and placing them next to the coffee maker.

One mug is purple. It is a hand-warming type with a special handle. Jeanne loves it. The first one was a Christmas gift. I accidentally broke that but thankfully found an exact replacement.

I usually don’t pour Jeanne’s coffee because she gets up a little later. However, I do put a small packet of stevia next to it for her convenience and then move on to the next step.

I take my mug, which was a Christmas gift, and set it alongside the purple one. It has the words “I love my cat and my cat loves me.” I put stevia into the bottom and add some fancy almond milk creamer. (I am lactose intolerant and am exceedingly thankful for this product). I put this concoction into the microwave and warm it up for 22 seconds.

Then, I take it out, add coffee, and stir with a teaspoon.

Today, however, things went terribly awry.

When I poured my coffee, the hot water from the pot was clear. I was in shock. I opened the lid to the coffee maker and discovered that the filter did not contain coffee grounds.

So, I ground some up. Without paying too much attention, I hastily added this to the filter, recycled the water from the pot, and pressed the button.

Soon, I poured my coffee, stirred, and tasted. I must say, it had quite a kick to it. Turns out that the coffee grinder had already contained grounds so I ended up doubled the amount.

I saw an acrostic the other day for the word coffee: Christ Offers Forgiveness For Everyone Everywhere.

It occurred to me that we may need to give a double dose of this at times.

In this instance, I had to forgive myself more than once.

Or just blame the effects of Daylight Saving Time.

Walter is pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church and has served as parish pastor for 30 years.