CoffeeTime
CoffeeTime: “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 lunch today; Having friends that…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: “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 very fear of any of those. Any one, or all…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: “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 trauma in their life…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: “FUNNY STUFF…NOW”
Four-year-old Barry was rambunctious and energetic. Gifted by God with charming smile, electric blue eyes and golden hair. From the moment those mesmerizing blue eyes opened, to when they reluctantly closed in sleep after he had raced headlong thru his day, Barry had to be on the move. He loved to run, climb, throw,…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: “I’M SORRY, DADDY, I REALLY AM SORRY!”
Little Jimmy was one of those eight-year-boys who seem to be able to find a mud puddle in the Sahara Desert. And within seconds have his body covered with it. Sandy hair falling over mischievous bright eyes, he was an intelligent, energetic kid who had a boundless love of life. Jimmy wasn’t exactly a deliberately…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: “THANKSGIVING; A TIME TO SAVE!”
Everybody knows finances are tight today. Now, one can only hope against hope that by the time this column hits your hands, the sentence I just wrote is a lie. That by some miracle the ever-escalating balloon of inflation in our country has run into a sharp knife and rapidly became a splattered has-been on…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: “DRUNKEN PASTOR LIVING AMONG US”
My husband was a pastor for many years. And as such, he has always attempted to hold his public image as close to clean and shiny as he possibly could. After all, when you are called to represent the Creator, to love and help His creations, you really don’t want to be known as…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: “BURN BARRELS”
Remember from your childhood all those stories about that man or woman “who lives right over there?” That person you knew from experience – yours or others – to avoid at all costs. Those stories varied from a witch, to scary dude, to mean as a junk yard dog. Yeah, me too. And…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: “MIGHTY THIN PANCAKES IN THIS WORLD”
Ever listened to two people or two groups argue? Both opponents believe there is only one real truth – MINE!! Doesn’t matter how loudly the other side yells. Doesn’t make a difference how many facts the other side lays out and cites triumphantly. These volunteer advocates for living with sky high blood pressure scoff at…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: WHEN WORK BECOMES A PILE OF COLD ASHES
Ever created your own mess, and then had to try for a couple of days to find a way out of it? Ending up stressed out, and physically exhausted. Exhaustion then causes you to be mentally hazy, so you don’t think clearly enough to be able to solve your problem. And don’t forget to throw…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: “LISTEN TO THE OLD GAMBLER”
A grizzled old man observed with trained eyes and alert ears as the novice young man did his best to hold his own at a table filled with experienced, skillful gamblers and crooked card sharks. Needless to say, things were going from bad to worse. At the end of the long night,…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: “SCARED SPITLESS? JOIN THE CROWD”
If there has ever been a time in my life when I feel like crawling under the bed with a blankie and lying there whimpering – it just might be now. Now, I really don’t see myself as a wimp, like a girl who has never had to face anything more unpleasant than a pimple…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: “NAKED”
Send any responses to: andybowman839@gmail.com Nope, don’t get your dander up (or your hopes up, depending on what you were hoping to read.) I am not going to write about naked bodies and the image that phrase seems to conjure up to people. The focus of this column, the nakedness I am writing about?…
Read More“CoffeeTime: BABIES BEHAVE BETTER THAN US”
Two-month-old Lydia suddenly feels uncomfortable, so she begins twisting her little head back and forth, whimpering, and when that doesn’t bring her mom, she begins shifting her body around. According to her beliefs, that lady-in-waiting has only one function in life – to attend to Lydia’s every whim and need. Mom is supposed to be…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: “THE WINNER – EVEN WHEN YOU LOST”
Send responses to: andybowman839@gmail.com You’ve surely seen them. The people in your life that rarely look at the glass as half empty. To them, having a half-empty glass just means they can to fill it to the brim with whatever they choose. But to a person who is discouraged, depressed, and feeling victimized by endless…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: “BAD TIMES BUDDY”
Send responses to: andybowman839@gmail.com Jim sat down at his desk that morning only to be immediately summoned into his supervisor’s office. Where he was assured that while he had been doing good work, he was also told that due to the company’s economic struggles, he was part of the layoffs in one month. That evening…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: “LOVING SOMEONE NO MATTER WHAT”
Podcasts available at Coffeetimecolumn.com Send any responses to: andybowman839@gmail.com “No Matter What” is the title of a popular song released in recent years. The lyrics talk about, “No matter whether we really try to please Him, or if we choose to throw a monstrous bomb into our life and the lives of those around…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: “FROM A WORMS’ EYE VIEW”
Send responses to: andybowman839@gmail.com Wisdom from the lips of a wrinkled old worm. “Okay, listen up, ‘cuz I’m gonna tell ya’ perzactly what The World is like. Most of the time it looks real dark and kind’a dry ‘n crumbly feelin’. But when I tunnel straight up for a little ways,…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: “NOBODY WANTS TO FEEL BAD ALONE”
The six-year-old insisted he go with Mom to see Aunt Jeanie. Never having visited a rehab facility before, he was quite excited with the prospect of seeing ‘Aunt J’s new home.’ He had heard his mom talking on the phone about the room where his aunt played with balls and colored blocks and got to…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: Horse Blinders
The funeral for Evan’s brother-in-law had concluded two hours ago. And now a small group of grieving family and friends were gathered in Evan and Shaylie’s home to share memories, laughter, tears, and encouragement. The front door opened again. Nothing unusual about that, people had been arriving every few minutes. But this guest was…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: “WHEN ‘I’M SORRY’ JUST DOESN’T CUT IT”
You stepped out there and thoroughly blew it, and you knew it. All you could do was apologize. Knowing you were wrong you went ahead…you said “I’m sorry.” But the apology you have offered seems to fall way short of the mark. Somehow it just doesn’t have your intended effect – restoring the relationship…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: “SIBLINGS – FRIENDS, ENEMIES, OR STRANGERS”
You grew up together. Fought over who got to ride the newer bicycle and who would have the bigger bedroom. Laughed at the same old TV cartoons while inhaling your morning ration of Kellogg’s Corn Flakes with sweetened milk. Made fun of each other unmercifully. Griped to one another about all of Mom and…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: HIDDEN IN THE DARK
Of course you’ve been there many times before. A dead-dark night when you have no electricity for some reason, so you light a candle. And immediately that thing shines like a diamond that has a heavy spotlight six inches from it. No mistaking where it is. If you are carrying it, everyone around knows it’s…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: “MY EYES! OH, MY EYES”
If you see it, you can never unsee it. You hear it, it’s in your memory bank forever. Unless it’s the phone number to the pediatrician when your kid is running a 102 temp at midnight. But usually, everything you see and hear becomes part of you – good and bad. Kind of a…
Read MoreCoffeeTime: “SCATTERGUN YOUR ANGER AND REGRET IT”
Oh yeah, Brenna was furious! No doubt about that. Absolutely amazing how the very air around her sizzled, and at the same time, made every nearby feel like they had just stepped into a sub-Arctic meat freezer. The words blazing from her firepit mouth could strip a rhino down to his thin underskin. Had it…
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