As we approached the door, the resilient aroma of coffee swirled around us as if someone were mixing it with the fresh, crisp chill of the night air. As the door swayed open we were welcomed with open arms and had the pleasure of an evening reminiscing the past and looking forward to the future.

A white raspberry mocha was filled to the brim in my new, fresh mug. A mug I had my eyes on many times before. As the night grew longer, the café grew in grandeur, the thoughts grew deeper, and the blessings grew in magnitude. In these moments, time stopped.

Time with the finest and greatest man I have had the pleasure of knowing. I felt like I was glistening with joy as I sat across from the table, soaking in the moments that seemed to cover the multitude of stresses from life.

Laughter reverberated from wall to wall. It was a place we had been hundreds of times, day after day, but today, it was very different.

Today was a day of an even greater joy, an almost overwhelming joy that I did not know was a capability.

The night continued to progress; shots of espresso had passed through our coffee-stained teeth, sugar from the brownies was flowing through our blood, and there were smiles could not be removed from our faces.

“What was your favorite thing to do as a child? What brought you so much joy that it became contagious?”

“It feels like it was yesterday; the fall leaves swept behind the back tires as they hugged the corners of the road, the roar of the engine sang loud into the air, and the wind brushed against my face greatly in the seat of the Corvette for the first time.”

This was a night that brought me so much joy that it was contagious.