by Debra Smouse

Greetings, <<First Name>>!

It begins with filtered water, fresh beans, and the touch of a button. Five minutes later, I am duly rewarded with the heady brew that is coffee. Though my perpetual to-do list and  the energy of the world both urge me to rush, rush, hurry, hurry, I do not. I will not.

This is a moment crying for sacred ritual and loving prayer.

I reach for a favorite mug and gently drop two tiny spoons of raw sugar into the bottom. I take a deep breath, inhaling the tantalizing scent of magical beans turned to liquid gold as I pour the first few ounces from the Cuisinart. I splash in a generous amount of whole milk from a white ceramic pitcher and observe the cloud that blooms in my cup as the coffee accepts its offering from the dairy world.

I stir, and find beauty in the perfect caramel color as the sugar, milk, and coffee blend their voices to sing in three part harmony.

I close my eyes and breathe in the sensual and the simple and the sacred. 

I sip.

The first drops pass my lips and cross my tongue and that first taste is like a prayer for life and love and gratitude for the fruits of farmers in Costa Rica and Wisconsin.

This is my morning ritual. It is simple, but no less holy or sacred for being so.
 
How we begin our morning sets the feel for the rest of our day. We can rush, or we can take one moment to ground and center and feel the sacred offering of our life before us.

The choice is ours.

I encourage you to find ritual in your first sip of the day. Whether coffee, tea, water or juice, how can you invite a deeper connection to yourself and to God? How can you begin the day with a sacred action that becomes prayer?
 

~~~

 
Debra Smouse is a Tarnished Southern Belle, writer and life coach on a mission to help people fall in love with their daily lives.  An expert de-tangler, she believes in busting clutter as a path to greater clarity and that within every woman is vibrant, passionate, and sexy being just itching to make their inner sex kitten roar.

Ready to ditch resolutions and choose a "theme" for your year instead? Get some help with her free e-Book Create a Year You Love: Choosing Your 2015 Touchstones.

For inspiration throughout the year, check out my book, As I Lay Pondering: daily invitations to live a transformed life. 

"To follow your internal spark,
you must first acknowledge it is there."
~ Kayce S. Hughlett

An excellent gift for yourself or someone else! 

"A beautiful way to spend a few minutes each day." Jennifer Louden, best-selling author & teacher"

"These daily meditations are a treasure, full of wisdom and creative invitations for your own pondering. Immerse yourself in a year of grace through this book." Christine Valters Paintner, author & online Abbess of Abbey of the Arts