I recently spent 53 days away from home so I could stay with our baby in the NICU and do what was needed to bring him across state lines and into our home.

The first three weeks of my extended stay, I stayed in a hotel close to the hospital. We had family willing and able to let me stay with them. However, still they needed to do a little rearranging to make space for me, then they were going to be out of town for a vacation.

There’s something incredibly lonely about being in a hotel room alone and far from home, while tending to an emergency. While I knew that people cared about me, most of my physical network were back home in Ohio, waiting to welcome me back.

Comfort in Coffee Form

People kept asking what they could do to help. We had a few pressing needs. First, we needed childcare for my older two kids back home so my husband could work. Second, I needed somewhere locally where I could do my laundry until I was able to settle in with family.

I was also spending a lot of money at Starbucks. I noticed that a hot breakfast sandwich and a big coffee served me well on the long days I spent at the hospital. So when people kept asking how they could help, I mentioned Starbucks gift cards.

Within a couple days, I suddenly had a lot of Starbucks gift cards!

Each morning as I enjoyed my Starbucks on the drive to the hospital, I was filled with gratitude. No one was physically with me then, but the physical reminder of both their presence and support was holy.

Coffee & Communion

One morning while I was drinking coffee and eating a sandwich, I couldn’t help but think about Communion. When we partake in Communion, we partake of the real body and blood of Christ. That unites us with God and with other believers.

For me, my mornings at Starbucks felt like that. It was an isolating time in my life, but something as little as drinking coffee and eating food provided to me by someone else was enough for me to feel a lot less alone.

I’m personally thankful that we follow a God who knows about our frailties. Knowing that physical separation or isolation could cause our faith to waver, Christ instituted a physical act to help us remember how we are connected.

Because of this powerful experience I had, Communion has taken on deeper meaning for me. As I officiate, serve, and partake of the elements each week, I cannot help but think about how supported and loved I was during that time away. Similarly, I cannot help but take a step further and think about how connected we are with the cloud of witnesses: those gone before us, those alongside us, and those to come.

Have you had an experience like this that helped you understand another facet of Communion? Be sure to share your stories in the comment section!