Annual Review

Two Cups af Tea at Hope’s Café

May 1, 2020, I launch kateshopecafe.net.  What were my goals at the time? I wanted to take advantage of the time afforded me by the pandemic when so many of my normal activities were suspended.  I thought a blog would require me to be more disciplined at a time when a lack of structure had descended into my typically scheduled life.  I don’t think I really expected to still be doing this six years later.  Thus every year when May 1 rolls around, I ask myself, “Do I keep this going?”

What have I accomplished? I have never done much promotion of my site.  In the six years, only a few more from the original group have become followers of kateshopecafe. However, in the past week, there were people from 49 countries who read it.  Over the six years folks from 75 countries have dropped into kateshopecafe to share “a cup of tea.”  Stunning to me.  Yet, what really keeps me going are the occasional comments encouraging me to stay the course.

While I have altered the blog a bit over time—longtime followers may remember when a recipe of some sort was included at the end of Hope’s Café—it remains my intention to offer something of interest and, in the best case, something uplifting, something hopeful.  As the world has become more inexplicable to me, greed, hate, fear growing like the kudzu that abounds in  the southern regions of the United States, the opportunity to continue the blog to scatter even the tiniest seeds of hope seems worthwhile. Perhaps someday I will feel a different direction.  But that time is not now.

When I pastored we had a yearly planning meeting with 3 month, 6 month and 9 month reviews of where we were with the goals we had set. While this “annual review” is directed to my blog, regular assessment —not necessarily yearly!—of how we spend our time, how we conduct our lives, is a worthwhile effort. 

P.S. My apologies to those who have had a hard time getting comments posted.  I monkeyed with the settings trying to make it easier.  The outcome of that was that one person who frequently comments under her name now shows up as “anonymous.”  I am only aware of that because she let me know that happened.  I thought I had gained someone new! 

The invitation is open to share two cups of tea anytime at Hope’s Café or anywhere you share companionship and conversation.Two Cups af Tea at Hope’s Café

May we be bearers of hope, the “wait staff” at Hope’s Café, for each other and all those we encounter.  Shalom, Kate