I always hated the smell of coffee, the taste of coffee, the texture of coffee and even the thought of coffee. My younger brother was just the opposite. From the time he was old enough, at my grandparents, he would ask for some coffee, heap in the sugar, add some creamer or milk, and up onto Grammy's lap he would go. I never understood the attraction.

Fast forward many years and countless un-caffeinated days and I am sitting in a hotel conference room in Atlanta, Georgia from early until night. The room that the conference was in was cold, I mean freezing...the first day I had on three shirts, a sweatshirt, a jacket, and brought down towels from the room to keep my legs and feet warm. There was nothing I could do to keep myself warm. For the very first time ever, I had a cup of coffee...

Since I was a newbie to the hot caffeinated cup of yum, I knew that I'd add all the goodies - sugar, cream, etc. Getting to the sugar required me asking someone to pass me 7 packages of the "pink" stuff, but in that asking, I started a conversation with someone. We talked about this and that - the cold room, the first cup of coffee, kids names, etc.

I got home from the conference and immediately began meeting friends for a cup of coffee, went to friends' for coffee, and even got my own pot myself. I have found that I really do like coffee, but really - really what I like is what comes with it. It's about the conversations, the relationships, the tears, and the laughs. Coffee is my Grammy's lap...it's comfort, it's peace, and it's love.