It’s been a while since I shared with you in A Cuppa with Nancy. Today, I am sitting at my kitchen table, looking out on our beautiful backyard as I write. We have had a very rainy year so far, so the grass is extraordinarily green. Instead of my usual hot cuppa, I am enjoying a tall and fat glass of delicious iced tea, brewed from Marks and Spencer’s Gold Bag (if you are into details). Ahhhh, so nice.

When I ponder the need for refreshment, my thoughts travel to Vietnam. There is no place hotter or more humid than Vietnam, in my humble opinion. Nowhere else is a cold drink more appreciated.

Iced Vietnamese coffee (with whole milk, no sugar, my preference) comes with iced lotus tea at no charge in the thousands of coffee shops across Vietnam. The Vietnamese are proud of their coffee and rightly so.

In the above photo, you will see Pastor Dennis with Minh, enjoying conversation while sipping on his cooler of choice, a fresh coconut. This is a double duty treat. First, you sip the restoring water of the coconut through a straw, then you can scoop out some of the tender meat of the coconut with a spoon.

My refreshing drinks here in Hot Springs, Arkansas are many. First is our wonderful, free mineral water with a slice of lemon or lime, Topo Chico mineral water from Mexico and iced black or herbal tea with mint from my herb garden (a nod to my Kentucky roots).

Did you know that by the time you experience thirst, you body is signaling its need for rehydration? It is important to pay attention.

Keeping my spirit refreshed isn’t always automatic for me. I can allow the cares of my day, critical thoughts or “phantom conversations” in my head, to leave me spiritually parched.

The solution is simple, it lies in returning to Jesus and partaking of Him, the Living Water. This calls for repentance, reflection and drinking deeply of His grace and goodness. After 53 years of following Him, I need Him more than ever to refresh me when the cares of my day leave me thirsty and dry.

As the “dog days” of summer are upon us, let’s remember to keep hydrated for our bodies’ sake and to keep on drinking deeply of God’s presence for our souls’ sake.

“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.’” -John 7:37

Cheers,

Nancy