EID MUBARAK!

Or to those of you who may not be living in a primarily Muslim or Arabic speaking country, I'll translate:

"Happy/Blessed EID!"

EID is the breaking of the 30 (or so) day Ramadan fast, or in more plain terms the end of Ramadan.

This year as a form of fasting I gave up coffee.

Yes, I went 30 days without my "liquid mug of strength to face the day". Let me remind you I work with children. LOTS of children. LOTS of children, early in the morning. Have I mentioned that at work I play make-believe ALL DAY? We sing, we dance, we craft, we have plastic food tea parties where tiny children dressed as fairy princess, pirates and the Postmaster General ask me to play the "EVIL HOUSEMAID" and whip-up a poisonous stir-fry made of tiny make-believe snakes (really, you think I'm kidding. I can't make this stuff up. Really, no matter how hard I try, these little kids ALWAYS out-do themselves. ALWAYS.) I do this all day. ALL day.

OK, you get the picture.

In some ways this fasting from coffee (life-giving energy in a cup) was making up for my not participating in the sacrificial time of Lent. My parents were visiting from Oklahoma AND I was on vacation during Lent AND I... well, EXCUSES, EXCUSES. I guess you can say I'm just making up for lost time and a little bad behavior ;)

There were several times over the 30 day period where I felt God looking down at me in utter amusement. He WANTED to give me coffee to help save my self from some form of embarrassment or another. I believe, there were times he was hysterically laughing and would have gladly given me a heaping helping of the carmel colored "sauce" I was so obviously desperately in need of. Many times I was tempted, like while I was at home healing from a painful car accident OR the Friday morning I spent snuggled up on the couch with my kids watching cartoons OR on the morning after Gavin refused to sleep until 3:30AM and I had to be at work the next day at 7:30AM OR, OR, OR...

But see, that is where asking for strength to resist temptation comes in. HE is AMAZING and will always provide what you truly need...

...even if what you may really need is just a great cup of coffee to make it through the day.

HUMDALAH! (Praises to God)