I remember the day well. My three-year-old son had a terrible cold and was home from preschool, whiny and extremely needy. My two-month-old son was howling every moment that he was out of my arms. Neither child would close his eyes for longer than 10 minutes and by 2 p.m., I had hit rock bottom. Disappointed in my own lack of patience and their lack of sleep, I was officially at my wit’s end. I decided that I just needed to get out of the house. I strapped both children into their car seats, and I drove. I drove and I cried.
I ended up in the line at the Starbucks drive-thru and with a shaky voice, I ordered a grande white mocha (no whip—gotta lose that baby weight!). As that warm cup of indulgence was brought to my lips, a sense of peace came over me. Also, both children had miraculously fallen asleep during the ride. I needed a friend to remind me that I could do this seemingly impossible job of parenting two small children. That day, the friend was coffee.
Author Melissa Face and I share a friend in coffee. We also share an overwhelming love for our kids and an understanding that motherhood is not just caring for our children but also caring for ourselves. I know we have this in common because I read Melissa’s collection of essays, I Love You More Than Coffee.
The essays included in I Love You More Than Coffee start by introducing you to a giddy but worried new mother with a love of writing. Melissa takes you on a journey that many parents can relate to, and along the way, you meet Melissa’s down-to-earth husband, Craig, her perceptive and compassionate son, Evan, and eventually her daughter, Delaney, who will make you snort the coffee from your nose.
Melissa’s written-in-real-time essays seem to have served as her therapy during her early years of parenting. Melissa shares the ups and downs of parenting in a way that is truly relatable and useful. No, this is not an advice book written by a Ph.D., but I assure you that your spirits will rise and you will gain insight into your own struggles with parenthood as you find yourself in many of her stories.
This author has a way of capturing your heart with her tales of parenting milestones. You will find yourself contemplating the sage counsel of her grandmother, giggling at her children’s questions, and relating to coffee as salvation. At times you won’t be able to tell if your tears are from laughing or crying. Melissa writes about her parenting challenges and successes as though she is your best friend chatting with you, over a cup of coffee at your favorite coffee shop, of course.
Reading I Love You More than Coffee presents you to a real mother, with real struggles, who has a mutually intense love for her children and coffee. Parent or not, you will find a kindred spirit in this author and her essays. After reading her essay collection, I feel as though she is my friend now and we should meet for coffee.
To order your copy, go here.
