FOODFORTHOUGHT

IT WILL MAKE YOUR DAY!
Author Unknown
Sep 15, 2005

IT WILL MAKE YOUR DAY AS WELL AS SOMEONE ELSE'S!
"I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I
can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse
to do the something that I can do."

"Miss! Over here!" "Waitress, could you check on my order?" "Could you
bring the baby some more milk?" I sighed and pushed the hair back from
my eyes. There was a large crowd waiting for tables. I was already
exhausted. I had a splitting headache and it wasn't even l2:30PM! How
was I ever going to make it through the day?

I'd been plenty grateful to get this job the year before. As a suddenly
single mom with two small children to support and little in the way of
education or skills, it had been a Godsend to be hired by a better than
average restaurant close to a famous hospital in our city. As the "new
kid" at the restaurant, I had been assigned the worst station, a small
room at the back of the building, so service was unavoidably slower
than in the front dining area. After two years and several new hires, I
am still "stuck" with the back room, but it has a beautiful view and I
could relax during off hours and find a moment of peace. On this day
all of my tables were filled to overflowing and I felt swamped.

I stopped for a moment and glanced around to see what were the most
urgent of the many things demanding my attention. That's when I saw
her. She was seated at the farthest table, jammed into a corner. She
appeared to be about 70 years old, with white hair, a deeply lined
face, and hands that testified to a lifetime of hard work. She wore an
old fashioned straw hat, and a cotton house dress under a shabby brown
coat that appeared inadequate for the weather. She sat quietly, with an
air of dejection and an expression of terrible sadness. I hurried over
and apologized for her having to wait so long. "It's all right," she
said. "I live on a farm and out that window it almost looks like home."
All that she ordered was a cup of tea. I made sure her tea was hot and
told her I hoped she'd come back when we weren't so busy. When I looked
over again, the old woman was gone. I couldn't help but wonder what had
made her so terribly sad.

A few moments later I heard my name called ant I looked up to see her
pushing her way through the crowded aisles. "I have something for you,"
she said, and she held out her hand. I put down the plates I was
carrying and dried off my hands so that she could give me a dime. She
didn't know that most waitresses here laughed at people who left only
small change for a tip. I know she probably couldn't even afford that.
She said, "I know it isn't much, but you went out of your way to be
nice to me. I just wanted you to know that I appreciated it." Somehow
my simple "thank you" didn't seem adequate, so I added, "and God bless
you." She grabbed my hand and started to cry. "Thank you, Lord" she
sobbed. "You don't know how much I needed to know there was another
Christian nearby."

"Tell me what's wrong, and if there is any way I can help. "There is
nothing anybody can do. I brought my husband here for an operation.
They thought it was a hernia but now they tell me he has cancer and I
don't know if he will survive the operation. He is 72 and we have been
married over 50 years. I tried to pray over it, but I couldn't seem to
find God anywhere around here." She managed to stop crying. "I almost
didn't come in because it looked so expensive. But I just had to get
out of the hospital for a while. When I was looking out the back
window, I tried praying again and asked Jesus to show me just one other
Christian so I would know I wasn't alone and that He was listening."
Still holding her hand, I said, "Tell me your husband's name and I will
pray for both of you every day for a week." She smiled and responded,
"Please do! His name is Henry."

With that she stood up and left. I went back to work with renewed
energy. Somehow I didn't feel tired any more. For some reason, none of
my other customers complained about the delay. I knew that God had
conspired that the two of us meet and help each other. I was happy to
offer her my prayers. And I hoped she knew she'd given me far more than
l0 cents. It was suddenly an absolutely beautiful day. And that can
happen to us every day of the week.

PRAYER
"Lord, your presence brings life and restores us to wholeness of mind,
body, and spirit. Speak your word to me and give me renewed hope,
strength and courage to follow you in all things and to eagerly serve
others with a glad and generous heart."

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# posted by F O O D F O R T H O U G H T @ 5:52 AM