06/22/2026
May was Stroke Awareness Month, and for me, it carried a meaning I never fully understood before. I had a grandfather who had a stroke, and I thought I knew what that meant. I was completely wrong.
One second changes everything. One second, you are yourself; the next, you are a stranger in your own body. No one warns you about the silence that follows—not the silence around you, but the silence inside you when your leg hesitates, when your hand forgets what it once knew.
I miss the small things, the everyday things most people take for granted: walking without thinking, turning a doorknob, feeling free. Now everything takes effort—every step, every word, every thought, every breath.
Some days I fight. Some days I break. Some days I want my old life back. But I have found strength I never knew I had and kindness I never saw or knew before. I still stumble, and I still rise, because even broken, I am still here—and there is still life to live, not with ease, but with meaning.
That meaning brings me to another milestone: our 10-year anniversary as The 5 Spot Café.
We are here because each and every one of you has depended on us and entrusted us to take care of your holidays, birthday parties, weddings, funerals, office breakfasts, and lunches. We are deeply appreciative of the outpouring of support and love you have given to me and my family.
Every day I am at work and see your smiling, welcoming faces, I feel a little less broken. Your words of encouragement—and my staff and family believing in me—push me onward. I want to stop and take a minute to let you know how much I appreciate y’all.
Cheers to 10 more years, and always reach for the sky.
