I’m excited to take part in an event I’ve just discovered. The Weekend Coffee Share is a link-up for bloggers to share conversation. The idea is that we share a cup of coffee and chat.

If we were having coffee as this new year begins, I would welcome you and ask that you ignore the chaos in my home that my animals bring. I’m sure Rocco would be busy slathering you with kisses as my old girl, Rosie, would slowly wag her tail as she sits by the fire. Her arthritis is getting the best of her, so she’ll love you from afar. The two cats, although full of affection, tend to be shy. Don’t mind them as they peer at you from atop the bookcase.

If we were having coffee, I’d share some of my mother’s home-baked treats, the one she refers to as “Alice Baker’s Coffeecake” in deference to a dear friend who shared the recipe. The familiar scent of cinnamon always brings the comfort of home. I’d tell you to have a slice or two. Mom sends these over almost weekly. There’s always enough.

If we were having coffee, I’d ask what you’re wishing for in the days to come. Me? I’m not one for resolutions, but I am hoping this year brings the changes I’ve been working for these past few years. You’d see the piles of papers I need to correct right next to volumes of poetry, teetering stacks of books, and a plethora of sticky notes plastered across my desk. An old photo of my husband’s grandfather and handwritten notes are pinned to the bulletin board just next to my writing table, waiting for me to resume work on the historical fiction piece I’m writing.

If we were having coffee, you’d see photographs of my family scattered here and there. My children, now young adults, might wander in as we visit. I’m pleased to say they’d be nothing but polite as they said hello and slipped out the door, busy with lives of their own. I’d ask about your family because I know this is where each of our hearts truly lives.

If we were having coffee, I’d share some of what I write and ask to read yours because being involved as a community gives the words we string together life. I’d tell you I am hoping this year gives me more time to comment on the work of all the writers I read, and I’d give thanks for being given the chance to think about things in new ways.

And when our visit was over, I’d thank you for the time we shared and ask that whatever the future brings, our time together was considered time well spent.