The Latte Lady
The Latte Lady
Friday, March 27, 2009
I recently had to move across the island to a different house right around the time we were trying to decide if we were going to stay a third year or not. While being closer to school and town and having a great view of the ocean waves from sitting on our patio were huge pluses, it was almost too much on top of the stress of trying to make such a major decision. I kept asking: "God, is this Your answer? Is this Your provision for me to stay another year? Or is this just a beautiful gift (no dishwasher and one bathroom only aside) to enjoy, seeing the ocean from all of the front windows, for a few months left here?" I didn't have an automatic answer, but I knew He would answer me. I just didn't know when.
Then along came the "latte lady." She was someone with whom I did volunteer work and whom I had gotten to know a little throughout the year. She also shared my passion for top-notch espresso drinks, something hard to come by on our tiny island. What's more, she had a super-automatic espresso machine, something I was saving up to buy by selling all of our no-longer-used goods at home. When I inquired about how it worked, I just expected a brief lesson. I enjoyed a morning sitting on her beach, drinking lattes with a third friend and watching David and my latte friend loading hermit crabs into his little plastic pick-up truck. I did not expect a phone call 3 times a week with a made-to-order espresso drink brought across the street to my house just as the kids were off to school and before my eyes fully opened to start my morning. It seems simple enough, but her gift of friendship in this way was so much more to me. It was a gift and a hug from the Father. It was an "It's okay to just enjoy what I bless you with today. You don't always have to know about tomorrow. Just enjoy today." It kept me stable during a tough time of before, during, and after a major life-changing decision to return home. It was a shared interest that was allowed to blossom and bless in my last few months here. And it was a smiling friend at my door with a warm mocha or caramel machiatto in the morning, which is a tough time for me anyway. Even my three year old learned to greet her, and if my older two were busy eating breakfast when the latte wagon arrived, they knew her as my latte lady. :) She'd come in, and we'd exchange an empty, clean cup from a few days before with a new one, filled with whatever magical concoction she created in her kitchen that morning.
It seems true that we mostly make our friendships based on common interests. One friend of mine on the island and I share political frustrations as well as lengthy discussions about serial episodes of LOST and the older X-Files series. We could drink coffee and talk about that for hours, almost forgetting the little preschoolers playing at our feet. Another friend and I laugh about so many of the same things and enjoy analyzing people dynamics on the island and how different people function in this tiny island world. But my latte friend has brought a gift she is likely somewhat unaware of....a reminder that the Father desires to gift us and love us in all circumstances. I am sad I am only here a few more months now to enjoy this new friendship, but I also know she came into my life at a very specific time and in a very specific way. It helped me see I can accept some things in the now and not stress about the future. If you are a coffee or tea enthusiast, you know that a shared cup is a meeting of the minds and hearts. :) People bond over java like they bond over dance or a joy of music. My engineer husband bonds with his friends over tweaking existing programs to offer more.
So, yes I am still leaving, despite the on-island move to a house we will enjoy for only 5 months, but I have a chance to experience the island from a slightly different perspective and to enjoy new neighbors. People bond here quickly. For all of the things that do perplex me about the island, that is one thing that I have observed. Common interests are discovered very quickly as time is always unknown, and friendships may only go on a short time before this transient society shifts and moves again. I am so grateful for my latte friend. What she brings me goes beyond the caramel sauce dripping on top or the amazing consistency of the foam on top. It calms me down and makes me stop and smell the brew. :)