good mornings

Don’t decide how the day will end before it has even begun. This morning’s coffee is a reminder to move yesterday’s worries over and leave a little room at the table for something good.

August 17, 2026

We sometimes wake up already expecting trouble.

guests at the restaurant tables — _{^{Photo by Joaquin Carfagna on Pexels.com}}

Before our feet touch the floor, we are thinking about yesterday’s problems, today’s responsibilities, and tomorrow’s worries.

Then we pour the coffee and carry all of them to the table with us.

That is quite a crowd for so early in the morning.

I wonder how many good things we miss because we have already decided what kind of day we are going to have.

We tell ourselves the meeting will be difficult.

The person won’t call.

The answer will be no.

Traffic will be terrible.

Something will probably go wrong.

And sometimes we’re right.

But not always.

Every now and then, life surprises us.

The telephone rings, and it is someone we have been thinking about.

A stranger holds the door and smiles.

Someone says something kind when we need to hear it most.

A problem we have worried about for days works itself out with surprisingly little trouble.

Or maybe nothing dramatic happens at all.

Maybe the sun simply comes through the kitchen window at just the right angle, the coffee tastes especially good, and for a few minutes everything feels all right with the world.

Those little moments count too.

We cannot control everything waiting for us today. There will always be things we would rather avoid and circumstances we cannot change.

But we can leave a little room for the possibility that something good might happen.

Hope doesn’t require us to pretend that difficulties don’t exist.

It simply asks us not to decide the ending before the day has had a chance to begin.

So while you’re sitting there with your coffee this morning, move yesterday’s worries over just a little bit.

You don’t have to throw them away.

Just don’t give them the whole table.

Save an empty chair for something unexpected.

Leave a little room for laughter.

Leave a little room for kindness.

Leave a little room for somebody to surprise you.

And most of all, leave a little room for something good.

Because this day hasn’t happened before.

You don’t know everything it is bringing with it.

Don’t let yesterday convince you that you already know how today will end.

Now take another sip.

Morning has only just arrived.

Let’s give it a chance.

Until tomorrow, may your coffee stay warm, your memories stay close, and your hope stay strong. The coffee will be waiting again tomorrow, and I hope you’ll be here to share it with me.

— Benjamin Groff II
Morning Coffee at benandsteve.com

We spend so much time trying to finish everything that we sometimes forget to appreciate simply moving forward. Grab your cup. This morning, one small step is enough.

August 14, 2026

There is something about morning that makes us believe we ought to have a plan.

people walking down a street with sun shining through trees — ^{_{Photo by Rendi iD on Pexels.com}}

We pour the coffee, look at the day ahead, and begin making a list in our minds. Things that need doing. People who need calling. Problems that need solving. Yesterday’s unfinished business somehow finds its way onto today’s kitchen table before we have even taken the first sip.

But maybe everything doesn’t need to be finished today.

Some things simply take time.

I think back to the way people once approached ordinary work. A garden wasn’t planted in the morning and harvested that afternoon. A fence was built one post at a time. A long trip was measured in miles traveled, not merely by how quickly you reached the destination.

There was an understanding that worthwhile things often required patience.

We sometimes forget that when it comes to ourselves.

We expect answers immediately. We want worries settled, grief healed, relationships repaired, and uncertainty resolved before bedtime. When that doesn’t happen, we can feel as though we somehow failed the day.

But perhaps today’s accomplishment is simply moving one step forward.

Maybe you make the telephone call.

Maybe you write the first paragraph.

Maybe you forgive a little.

Maybe you worry a little less.

Maybe you finally sit quietly for ten minutes with a cup of coffee and realize the world managed to keep turning without your supervision.

There will always be something left undone when evening comes. That isn’t failure. That is life reminding us there is another day waiting.

So this morning, don’t measure your day by everything you manage to finish.

Measure it by whether you moved something worthwhile a little farther down the road.

And if all you manage today is one small step, remember:

A small step forward is still farther than you were yesterday.

Pour yourself another cup.

Tomorrow will have its own list.

For now, this morning is enough.

Until tomorrow, may your coffee stay warm, your memories stay close, and your hope stay strong. The coffee will be waiting again tomorrow, and I hope you’ll be here to share it with me.

— Benjamin Groff II
Morning Coffee at benandsteve.com

Excerpt

Not everything needs to be finished today. Some things simply take time. This morning’s coffee is a reminder that one small step forward can be enough.

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Truth Endures ~ ©Copyright 2026 Groff Media ~

☕ Morning Coffee – Not Everything Needs to Be Finished Today

Excerpt