☕ Morning Coffee 84: When Fear Meets Love (and Zombies): A Morning Reflection

I don’t always know what to say when life feels like it’s on the edge.

But I want to share something with you today—because it’s been a weekend of unexpected turns, terrifying moments, and deep, deep gratitude.

I went to Wyoming. First time in over 20 years visiting that part of the state to see my brother. Pierce—one of my son’s best friends—offered to take me, and I accepted. What I didn’t expect was that I’d be confronting one of my oldest, most irrational fears: zombies.

Yeah. Zombies.

I agreed to play Seven Days to Die, a game I’ve avoided for years because it genuinely freaks me out. And just to make things extra spicy, we decided to livestream it for hours. You’ll be seeing clips of that later—I promise, there’s plenty of screaming (most of it mine).

But something changed in the middle of the chaos.

My niece Erica was playing next to me, and I heard her scream as she got attacked in-game. Suddenly, my fear didn’t matter anymore. Something in me snapped into “dad mode,” and I jumped in to defend her. All that fear melted into one thought: Y

ou don’t get to touch my niece.

That moment rewired something in me.

But Then There’s Reality

Meanwhile, back home, people were showing up in ways I never could’ve predicted. Friends and neighbors came over to help Kathilynn with the chickens—prepping space for our garden. What I thought would take two weeks got done in an afternoon.

Craig, one of my closest friends, put air in the flat tire on our only vehicle so my wife could get to the hospital. Then Jacob, bless him, came out on a Sunday to patch that tire permanently—didn’t bill us, didn’t even tell my wife he was there.

But the hardest part to talk about is this:

Our newest grandbaby—number 31 (maybe 32, I’m losing count)—was born with a serious birth defect. Her organs were pushing up into her chest, making it hard to breathe. She was purple when she came into the world. They rushed her to the hospital, and then to Primary Children’s by life flight.

They didn’t want to do bypass... because that’s what you do when a baby’s not going to make it.

But her heart stopped.
She stopped breathing.
So they did it.

She’s still with us.

She’s weak... but she’s here. Her little body is responding. And we’re praying she’ll get strong enough to undergo surgery and live the life she was born for.

So yeah, I’m scattered.

I know Wanted Hero Day is coming up. I haven’t forgotten. But this is where my heart is right now. We’ve got a living room full of kids sleeping on the floor, and a family praying for a miracle.

Life is good.
Life is hard…but life is good.

Be happy today.

Be happy this week.

Say a prayer for us.

And if you’re feeling like you’re standing on the edge—I want you to know:

You can do this.

You are MORE than you THINK you are!

Until Next Time,

Jaime *focused-grandfather* Buckley

---

---

If you would you like to help Jaime with office supply needs, or send him a treat, you can. He keeps a public list of what he’s saving up for to buy for Life of Fiction when he has the funds.

---

---

Consider Supporting Who We Admire:

(no affiliate links, we just love them)

• Buy THE Best Coffee, from Restoration Roastery (and support women saved from human trafficking)

• Check our GoBrunch (the platform we use for The Fiction HUB)

• No Stress Writing Academy (Jaime’s course on Worldbuilding)

• Jaime’s #1 Favorite Video Game (The Heroes Journey - EverQuest)

---