Snowy Spiked-Chai Tea Coffee Latte With Voyant Liqueur

We’re starting out the week with a comfort cocktail. It’s a cup of hot coffee, with a shot of Voyant Chai liqueur, topped off with snowy white foam and sprinkled with cinnamon. Voyant Chai is a sweet and spicy liqueur made with rum, cream, black tea, and spices. It is similar to Irish Cream and oh so good! This is a week to seek comfort. I am not my usual “martini glass half-full” girl.

Last week left me physically and emotionally drained. I worked crazy hours prepping to test a few hundred students this past Saturday, which thankfully ran almost seamlessly.

In addition to the busy schedule, it was a week of sadness. My counselor, Kim, was my lifeline while I journeyed through a marriage that wasn’t working, not sure of the path to take. An amazing woman, does not even begin to describe her. Her son, Chase, at thirteen battled a rare form of tissue cancer, which he fought and won. At seventeen, he was diagnosed with leukemia, endured two bone marrow transplants, chemo, and countless transfusions. Last Monday at 3:16AM he passed away, at twenty years of age, with his mother’s arms wrapped around him and his three brothers and dad nearby. It is no coincidence that this angel on Earth entered heaven at the exact moment the clock showed 3:16. The funeral was an amazing tribute to a boy who embraced life to the very end of his time on Earth. Please pray for his family, that they have the strength and support to heal. Kim has documented this amazing journey on her blog, if you want to be inspired!

On Friday, I learned that one of my former third graders overdosed on drugs and died the night before. At eight years old, he was an adorable, sweet boy with a beautiful smile. I did not keep in touch with the family over the past twelve years, so I don’t know any details of his short life. The sadness that he felt, and that his parents have to endure breaks my heart.

Friday night, after attending Chase’s funeral, working late, and hearing the news about my student, the only thing I wanted was my boy, to hug and hold. It was a daddy weekend, so I came home, snuggled up to the boy’s pup, and made a chai tea coffee - comfort in a cup.

I’ve prided myself on becoming Miss Independent over the past few years. I love being single, and have learned to figure things on my own. On Friday, however, I found myself wishing that there was someone to come home to, someone to lean on, and pour my emotions out to. I realized how nice it would be, to not be the one always holding it all together. It’s amazing how God works, through sadness, he has the power to change our hearts.

Please keep these families in your prayers. My toast for the week is that we will live our lives to the fullest and end each day reflecting on the blessings we have been given.

A drink to warm your heart…

Snowy Chai-Spiked Coffee Latte

1 1/2 cups drip coffee