A Cup of Panama and Peace, Please

photo provided by Kathleen Zook

My summer has been crazy— jam packed, terrifying, and crazy. There have been so many emotions and trips and plans that sometimes it seemed like the only way to catch my breathe was for the summer to end. But early on in the summer I rediscovered my love for reading, for quiet, and for Queen Bee. Some weeks it felt like I lived there— and the employees there definitely made some fond, teasing remarks about how much time I spent there but through all the swirl of my summer there was Queen Bee. A safe place, my place of refuge as Kathleen called it— somewhere I could go to read and be alone or meet friends, or really just genuinely grab a great cup of coffee. So this is a thank you note, because you people seriously deserve one for creating an atmosphere of peace in a world that so desperately needs one.

"She calls this place her coffee shop," a customer said of her young daughter who was maybe 2 or 3.

"It is her coffee shop," Mrs. Alicia replied.

And it is. It is that young girls place of joy, and it is my place of peace. Queen Bee is her coffee shop and my coffee shop and your coffee shop-- it is a place for everyone, to feel welcome and happy and safe. It is a place of peace and joy and laughter. It's for reconnecting and meeting new people--strangers become friends in the matter of seconds over talking about their favorite blend or the music or the food, or even make a connection just because of the time spent at tables next to each other reading for hours. There is a camaraderie in the customers that come regularly, a sort of knowledge that says ‘ah, I see. You’ve discovered it too.’ It's a place to slow down and breathe-- for friends to meet and do life together, tears and giggles and all. People say that seeing someone reading a book you love is like seeing a book recommend a person— well, meeting a stranger at Queen Bee is like seeing a coffee shop recommend a person.

And it isn’t just the coffee or the atmosphere that keeps people coming back, either. In the past few weeks I have been there four of the five days Queen Bee is open almost every week and I have witnessed coffee spills (where the spiller literally leaves instead of cleaning), plumbing breaks, and times when you got so busy I contemplated offering to help but never once did your smile falter or was your greeting less than sincere and joyful. You welcome new customers in with as much love as you do the ones you’ve known forever, and you serve with a heart that proclaims Jesus with a quiet beauty that is subtle but strong and leaves people wondering how you do it. Your business is a living, growing, beautiful example of Christ hiding not so secretly behind great coffee and a kind smile; it’s a witness and a gem and I’m going to miss your words of wisdom.

This place has been a second home to me this summer. It has been the birthplace of so many friendships and I'm not exactly sure when exactly it crept into my heart these past few years, but I love it, and the people there who make it what it is, so dearly. Thank you for housing some of the best moments of my summer and for providing a place of peace and joy for all-- a place that is not only your coffee shop, but everyone else's as well. It means more than you know. So from your resident Panama Joe lover, Jasmine tea drinker, and newly discovered King Pop enthusiast: thank you, thank you, thank you. I’ll see you soon, keep changing our world one cup of joe at a time.