If you know The Big Bang Theory, you probably know this: when someone is sad, Sheldon Cooper offers them a hot beverage. Always. It’s his go-to, his one reliable move. Tea, cocoa, coffee it’s not about the drink. It’s about the gesture. It’s about putting something warm into someone’s hands when the world feels cold.

I think about that a lot, how we don’t always need the right words. How we can’t always fix what’s broken. How sometimes all we can do is show up with a warm mug, an open seat, a listening heart. In my house, that often looks like hot cocoa. Not the powdered kind in a packet, but the kind you make in a saucepan while the marshmallows wait on the counter. A little extra, yes. But extra is my love language.

Last month, the not-okayness felt heavy. For me, for my people. So I made a batch of S’mores Hot Cocoa. Marshmallows, crushed graham crackers, a square of chocolate melting into the warmth. No one’s tears disappeared, no one’s problems were solved. But the kitchen felt softer. The conversation got easier. The kindness tasted like chocolate.

Would you like a hot beverage?

S’mores Hot Cocoa (serves 4)

What You Will Need:

What You Will Need To Do:

1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder and salt; stir in 1/3 cup of hot water. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; boil and stir 2 minutes.
2. Add 4 cups of milk; stir and heat until hot. Do not boil.
3. Remove from heat; add 3/4 tsp vanilla extract. Beat with whisk until foamy. 
4. Pour into your favorite mug. Top with mini marshmallows, crushed graham crackers, and a square (or two) of chocolate to melt right in.
5. Optional but encouraged: toast the marshmallows with a kitchen torch or broil for 30 seconds until golden and bubbly.
6. Hand it to someone you love, no strings attached.

It’s easy to forget how much small things matter. A cup of cocoa. A listening ear. A soft place to land. We don’t have to fix it. We just have to show up. We just have to care enough to notice and offer what we can.

Today I’m asking:
What can you do to make someone else’s not-okayness a little better?

Maybe it’s not cocoa. Maybe it’s a note. A text. A walk. A casserole. Or maybe, like Sheldon, it’s simply placing a warm mug in their hands and saying, “I’m here.”

Because sometimes, that’s enough.
Because sometimes, that’s everything.

Help keep the words flowing and the stories brewing.
Buy Me a Coffee

Reference
Niequist, S. (2024). Celebrate Every Day. Zondervan.