25. HOT COFFEE

Cool beans

* This simple miracle appeared both at CWRU (first in the spring of 2004) and NCSU.
* At NCSU, my friend Andrew took a cue from this simple miracle. Every time that someone expressed satisfaction by saying, "Cool beans," he replied, "Hot coffee." Oh my!
* Today is clammy and cooler in Maryland, a good day for coffee or some other hot drink.
* Herein, it is also a good day to have simple miracle #25 inside of simple miracle #24.
* Actually, I do not not like coffee. So, when I am feeling goofy, if someone asks if I would like coffee, I replay, "Yes, please, cold and without beans." Of course, this means that I would just like water.
* Also at NCSU, the campus minister is from Colombia. While practicing our Spanish with him, we were excited to realize that "cool beans" translated into Spanish is "frijoles frios." Sometimes, we would say that instead.

24. A THERMOS

Keeps the cold from the hot and the warm from the cold

* Phil List, president of NCSU Students for Life for more than a year (2007-08), thought of this simple miracle in the spring of 2007.
* Folks often pray outside of abortion clinics on Saturday mornings to support mothers and fathers that are considering killing their unborn children. In the winter, a Thermos is particularly helpful. I'm always amazed when someone who has been praying or counseling for hours opens up their Thermos and the coffee still steams.
* Now, I could use a Thermos to replace my water bottle which gets so hot when I forget and leave it in the car.

23. DAWN'S ORANGE GLOW

Quietly, the sky says, "A new day is here!"

* I admired this color upon the horizon as I drove to 6:30 AM Mass this morning. I think that it is remarkable how sunlight can appear so differently depending on the time of day.
* Perhaps, when you look up at the sky and see orange in the morning, it can remind you of simple miracle #21 and to eat an orange in the morning.

22. GREEN LIGHTS

Sometimes you are on-time when you didn't think you would be

* Thanks to Jim Savinell for help in thinking of this simple miracle. He and I were both sitting in traffic on Friday afternoon while we were talking on the phone and thought of this. Jim was one of the original founders of the CWRU Right to Life group in 2002.
* A string of green lights is a much better way to be on-time than driving aggressively. Instead of "Yellow means slow," sometimes in Maryland, it seems as though "Yellow means go."
* I studied traffic light programming in graduate school. It is most likely that the lights in consecutive intersections can be programmed for consecutive green lights when traffic volume is predictable. Herein, it is possible for it to be less likely to get a green light on a weekend when the traffic volume is less predictable, even if it is lighter.

21. ORANGE PEELS

Nature's perfect packaging

* This simple miracle was originally on display at CWRU in the fall semester of 2003. Lauren Martino (then Lauren Edwards) was the witty author.
* At first, we thought about using "Banana peels - Nature's perfect packaging," but we worried that people would associate banana peels with slipping and falling. Initial audience response, we thought, was very important. Even if something made sense once someone thought it through, we weren't sure that everyone would take the time to think it through. So, we switched orange for banana.
* Recently, I have discovered that if you leave an orange peel in your car overnight, it leaves a great smell.

20. JELLY BEANS

So many flavors in one small bag

* I'm in Pennsylvania, visiting my family for Easter. We have a full bowl (or at least once-full) of jelly beans on our kitchen table. My sister Missy helped me to think of this simple miracle.
* A few summers ago, during a mission trip, we always insisted on jelly beans on Sundays. Here are the theological underpinnings: Jelly beans are shaped like eggs. Eggs are a sign of new life. At Easter, Christ rose from the dead and we received new life. Every Sunday is like a little Easter. (Herein, today, within the solemn Easter octave, is also a great jelly bean day. Have some for lunch!)
* Missy says that her favorite jelly bean flavor is berry blue. My mom, sitting a few feet away as I type, consults the jelly bean bag and announces that her favorite is cinnamon. ("But tutti fruity is good too," she adds.) What is your favorite jelly bean flavor?

19. SILENCE

18. SHOE POLISH

Turning scuff to buff with just a little bit of goop

* Nails for a crack, detergent on shirt stains, or polish on shoes all fall in the same vein - ways in which things that are "worn out" can be renewed.
* I just polished the pair of shoes that I wear to work last week. Yes, I think that they look just like new.

17. RAIN

Makes the grass greener
* Rain really does make the grass greener and this morning we have a steady shower in Maryland. Therefore, we need to get our lawn mower fixed before our backyard turns into a jungle.
* This simple miracle first appeared at CWRU in the spring of 2004, when it rained cats and dogs in Cleveland.
* As long as you also have Simple Miracle #15, you'll be in good shape.