Dear Friends,
Her name was Joan, and I first met her a number
of years ago when I and my assistant basketball coach were attending a high
school basketball coaching clinic in Daytona Beach, Florida.
She was an 80-year-old waitress who worked at
Sonny’s Barbecue, a restaurant staple in Florida. She was more than
a little crotchety, but my assistant and I were determined to politely engage
her, and so we decided to do everything we could to lift her spirits and
brighten her day.
There was no question that we accomplished
our goal, for she spent an inordinate amount of time talking with us and
telling us all the ways we could get the best deal from the menu. And once we
ordered, she proceeded to provide us non-stop service while offering us free
drinks and free side items that we didn’t order, but which she thought we would
enjoy.
The next year my assistant coach and I
attended the same clinic, and we decided to go to the same restaurant to see if
Joan was still working. When we walked in, I saw her standing at a nearby
table, and I immediately asked the manager if we could have Joan as our
waitress. From her expression, that may have been the first time in that
restaurant’s history that she had ever had anyone ask for Joan to be their
waitress.
For the next hour, we loved on Joan. We
filled out a service card indicating what a great job she was doing, and how
accommodating she was. We told her how pleasant she was, and how much we
enjoyed having her as our waitress. We even called the manager over and made a
point of telling her how much we liked Joan and what a great waitress she was.
The manager's eyes got as big as saucers, and
it was all too obvious to us that she wasn’t sure whether we were serious or
just pulling her leg.
All the while Joan’s face was beaming, and it
was obvious she hadn’t had many customers like the two of us.
By the time we walked out to pay the bill,
there were several waitresses standing nearby who were gazing at Joan, who by
this time was strutting around like some proud peacock as a result of all the
attention she was receiving.
Now Joan was the same person who earlier had
told us how she hated working there, how she couldn’t stand her boss, and how
she was looking for ways to get fired. But now her countenance had changed, and
she was a different person, and it was clear that our kindness to her had
changed her attitude and actions.
I share this story to point out that a little
kindness can do a lot to lift someone’s spirit and make them feel special.
Joan felt special that night, and so did we,
knowing that we had brought some joy into her life.
The Apostle Paull tells us that “love is
kind,” and hopefully Joan saw plenty of love from the two of us.
The best part of the story was that we even
had a chance to share the gospel with her, and hopefully those words may have
made a difference in her life, but even if they didn’t, I am sure she will
never forget the kindness we showed her.
After experiencing the love and kindness of Jesus at a community well, the Samaritan woman left her water pots behind and ran to the city to tell everyone about the person who had just changed her life.
Hopefully we left Joan a little different
from the person she was when we first met her, and yet it only took a few kind
words to bring about that change.
The next time you are out and meet someone
who may be having a rough day, why not think as David did when he asked of
those remaining in the House of Saul, “Is there not still someone… to whom I
may show the kindness of God? (2 Samuel 9:3)
Yes, people may forget the words you say but
they will never forget the way you made them feel.
Yours in faith and
friendship,
Tom
P.S . “Practice kindness all day to everybody
and you will realize you’re in heaven now.” Jack Kerouac
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