THANK GOD FOR THE MENISCUS

I know, whoever is reading this (you are out there, aren’t you??) is asking, “What is a meniscus and why should I care?” Well, let me explain.

Here’s the physics definition of a MENISCUS: a curve in the surface of a molecular substance ( e.g. water) when it touches another material.” With water, you can think of it as when water sticks to the inside of a glass or cup.

So—why does this matter? Most mornings I have a cup of some hot liquid that I make in my handy, dandy coffee maker, you know, the kind that uses those little plastic cups of goodness. It used to be regular coffee, the stronger the better. Lately I’ve expanded it to include decaf, black tea, and even herbal tea (gotta watch that nasty caffeine). Anyway, I make it in a cup on the kitchen counter, then usually take it to the dining room, which has become my work-space (see the photo on the home page of this website).

I tend to like the cup FULL of coffee or the chosen beverage of the day, and I almost always add something to it—I can’t stand black coffee or tea. For coffee, its my chosen flavor of a coffee of creamer; for tea its honey or some artificial sweetener. The point is, the cup is VERY full. That’s where the meniscus comes in.

Because of the meniscus effect, even a very full cup of coffee doesn’t spill as easily as it should. The coffee seems to stick to the walls of the cup, no matter how unsteady my hand holding the cup or how much I jostle it. Well, up to a point, at least. But I do see the results of it.

Now I’m not quite convinced that God invented the meniscus effect for liquids like coffee or tea, solely for my benefit in the morning, but it does come in very handy. I thought about that concept, one of those hmmmm moments.

There are all sorts of things, most of which I take for granted, that every day make life more bearable, even enjoyable. I’m one of those who believes things happen for a reason. God doesn’t usually share with me what that reason is, but that’s what faith is all about. I believe in things I not only can’t see but don’t always fully understand.

In my stories, there seem to be many moments of coincidence. I can see it in the first story, Return to Rainbow Ridge. Things happen throughout the story where the timing is just right (or just wrong), or the choices made lead to unexpected and even unintended consequences. Don ‘t forget, it is fiction, and I make sure things work out in the end. Gotta have that Happily-Ever-After ending.

So—next time you have a cup of coffee or hot tea or hot chocolate, remember the meniscus, and how things are done for our benefit every day that we don’t realize. Just because we don’t understand them doesn’t mean they aren’t real or aren’t there to help us.