Good friends, false starts, good coffee recommendation

I met with three of my friends (my old work buddies) from ConocoPhillips for lunch this afternoon. After the most recent layoff - the second of two in twelve months - one of the three is going to be relocated to another COP location and since the four of us were pretty close when we worked in the some office it was good to get together so I could have a chance to say goodbye and good luck. We used to spend time every day visiting with each other; encouraging each other when we had a boss that was very difficult to understand. I was the sounding board for many of the interesting decisions we were all having to make to keep up with the flow of work as it changed to accommodate a new leadership style. It was interesting times. I really miss those conversations.

We visited for a couple of hours and I got caught up on all the office gossip. All of the ladies that used to report to me are still at the jobs I lined up for them before my job was eliminated. That was good news. Now, since the disbandment of my group the offices are less networked than before but some of the functions still overlap enough that people stay in touch across the geographical divide. I used to daydream about being rehired by COP - in a different capacity - but I have given up that far fetched hope. Still, it is always good to stay close to old friends. Which reminds me, I need to call my friend in the Ukraine. It ha been too long since the two of us have talked.

I had an appointment this afternoon to talk to someone about my little internet business but it turned out to be a false alarm. The number I got was for the brother of the man whose name I had, so it was a difficult discussion to begin with and probably did not generate a sale on my part, but it was good practice in handling an unexpected situation and making the best of it. I do expect that there will be those times but I am praying that they will be few and far between. As I looked at my calendar this evening I had gotten four more requests for contact. That’s encouraging. The profits are in the numbers of exposure and I am finally getting a chance at generating those numbers. 

While Cori and Nate and the kids were at the Mission’s Conference last week they were hosted by a family, the matron of which had grown up in Honduras to missionary parents. It proved to be a wonderful opportunity for her to share some of her life experiences with Cori and Nate. One of the things that was learned is that there is a coffee import company headed by an architect who was called to Honduras some years ago to help local families build houses, shops, etc. with profits provided by the sale of locally grown coffee. That company uses all profits to build homes and shelters in Honduras among the poor and needy. The company is called Hope Coffee Company.

They have a website; hopecoffee.com 

If you are a coffee enthusiast you can purchase Honduran  grown coffee and know that the purchase will actually go for a good cause.

Sounds like a win-win to me.