My Favorite Coffee Place

So, every day on Twitter I'm subject to posts from Randy Elrod about his favorite coffee spot in Franklin, Merridees.  It's a neat little bakery in the heart of Franklin and we stopped there when we were attending the Recreate conference in February.

We have a coffee house here, The Manhattan Coffee Shop and it's great, but it will never be the place for me.  My place is La Madeline's French Bakery. (For my friends in Atlanta--there are several near you--don't walk, run to this place).

I discovered La Madeline during an especially trying period in my life.  After the depature of our Sr. Pastor, I needed a spot to gather my thoughts each day before heading in to the office.  When you walk into LaMadeline, it looks like this picture.  Warm, welcoming, cozy, inviting and just a place where you can bring a book, paper or journal to think for a bit.  My place was always by the fireplace in the winter and by the bay windows in the spring.  Many a journal page (accompanied by tears) were written here.  Many scriptures were poured over and studied at those little wooden tables.  Several gallons of French Roast coffee with cream were downed in the search for God's will.  

Oh how I miss it and this morning a good friend texted me to say " I'm at 

LaMad for Bfast. Thinking of you".  I wrote back "It's a love hate thing with you".  If I could I would have been right there in the middle of it.  But I have to settle for my LaMad cup and my folgers coffee and dream of the days when I can get to this place.  Some of you have found Starbucks to be this place for you.  I'm glad-but for me it will never be LaMadelines!