Gratitude Sustained

A semi-restless sleep was abruptly interrupted by the sound of the alarm. Recollection rushed to the forefront as I slowly sat up to insert my feet into the waiting slippers. I recalled that the “Breakfast Club” was first on the agenda for today as I swallowed my first round of daily medication, flipped on the coffee maker and opened the door for Gracie to take her run. Sebastian the cat began meowing impatiently as he seemed to be calling forth his morning morsels from his perch on the porch. A dip into his bag of mix and a quick dump into his bowl left him devouring his crunchy feast. Five in the morning seemed to have arrived abruptly as the rush was now on for a shower and quick sip of coffee before making the trek to the church kitchen to begin the six in the morning Sunday preparation of a breakfast for more than fifty regular partakers who count on this meal to sustain themselves. Still shaking off the remnants of sleep my mind began rushing forward with the order of preparation now in store. The Sextant had been on vacation over the preceding holiday and the usual pot of coffee to be turned on for brew did not greet us as we entered the fellowship hall and adjoining kitchen. A frantic search through all the cupboards yielded not a single ground of coffee. Not being deterred, the team assembled to deliver the sustenance that morning. A quick run to a local fast food establishment with the intent to purchase a large container of coffee, proved nonproductive as the business was not open that early on Sunday morning. Our focus shifted quickly from what we “didn’t have” to what we “did have”. Sausage, biscuits, grits, eggs, and juice were all soon placed on the waiting trays as the grateful participants sidestepped the absence of coffee in those early hours of Sunday morning. Forty eight people experienced a warm and hearty meal with some taking the option of seconds in the form of a sausage biscuit. Even in the absence of the usual caffeine stimulant, gratitude suffered not a single blow as we all shared in the fellowship of giving and receiving that Sunday morning.