The Coffee Can Story….

Everyone has dreams, hopes and wishes. Some are as fleeting as vapour, wispy thoughts drifting through our minds,

  ‘wouldn’t it be great to...’.  Others more definite, in written lists, plans and blueprints that often sit gathering dust, set aside for a time when life won’t be so busy and taking time for ourselves won’t seem so selfish.  Most of us only experience them in our slumber, as we sleep exhausted from simply getting by day-to-day. Only when confronted with our own mortality do these long-held dreams, hopes and wishes take on a vital importance.

My husband Tom and I went to see the movie the “Bucket List”. It was about two men who were dying from cancer and had only a year to live. They proceeded to make a list of all the things they wanted to do before they ‘kicked the bucket.’  After battling stage 4 colon cancer for two years with a grim prognosis for the future, Tom could really relate.

The producer of the movie vividly portrayed the difference between a man without faith who was empty, alone, devoid of love and a man with faith filled with hope and the love of his family. (I must warn you that the movie did display ungodly language and behaviour from the man who had no faith.)  The producer’s stark contrast between the two men’s lives and outlooks dramatically outlines the differences in our culture today between the lost and the found.

For us, seeing the movie brought a strong message of how life can be spent: that in order to die well, one must live well. If we live well, embracing life with His love and His blessings of family and friends, then dying can be a gift for love ones to cherish, lasting from generation to generation.

Just before seeing this movie Tom and I were in the cancer clinic at the hospital where my husband has been taking chemotherapy off and on for two years. That day Tom made a decision. He decided he would not continue with this therapy. No more chemo, no more needles or doctor’s appointments, no more blood tests or CAT SCANS. He’s finished. He wants to live out the rest of his life in a manner that brings joy. He wants to spend time with family and friends… laughing and making a difference in our lives. He wants to be himself. He does not want cancer to destroy who he is as a person. He is not pretending that he is not going to die. Tom knows that without a miracle from God, his time is limited, but he wants to make the best of that time, making memories we can all treasure. He wants to live well so he can die well.  What is written on our tombstone makes little difference when compared to what is written on the hearts of our loved ones, no matter how long any of us have to live.

At the end of the movie, the men were cremated, their ashes placed in Chock Full o’ Nuts Coffee cans, the ‘heavenly coffee’, and buried on a mountain top.

My husband was deeply impacted by the end of the movie, so much so that he said, “Connie, that’s what I want.  A Chock Full o’Nuts coffee can for my ashes to be placed in.”

The next day I emailed a US. Company by the name of Massimo Zanetti Beverage from Portsmouth, VA and asked if they would ship me a can of Chock Full o’Nuts coffee. The response was negative; “Sorry we don’t ship to Canada” was their reply.  So I wrote back again and asked if they could make an exception this time. I told them about my husband’s battle with cancer and how we had watched the movie the ‘Bucket List’ and how deeply touched he was by it. I said I would pay for shipping and the price of the coffee if they would reconsider and send me the can of coffee. The email came back again but this time with a positive response, “We would be glad to send you the can of coffee with no cost to you.”

A week later, I received a huge box in the mail. I opened the box to find not just one, but six large cans of coffee, a DVD of “The Bucket List” and a letter revealing the compassionate heart of this company. The letter was from the Vice President stating:

“Dear Mrs. Hale,

Your request for a can of Chock Full o’Nuts came across my desk today and I wanted to let you know that it has touched many of us here on a very personal level. It would be both an honour and privilege for us to respect your husband’s request for a can of Chock Full o’ Nuts coffee.”

Their act of kindness took my breath away as I embraced the mercy that was shown to us. God always shows up. Maybe not always the way we expect. He works through the hands of people, speaking words of comfort through their voice and loving us through their hearts.

I will never forget the day when God showed up at my door with a can of coffee….