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DAVID BENTLEY'S WEEKLY COLUMN |
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UNEXPECTED KINDNESS
I have friends who take me out to dinner at Christmas and on my birthday. I have friends who eat out with me and pick up the whole tab after the meal. I have also enjoyed numerous gift certificates to various restaurants given to me by assorted people for many different reasons. Occasionally, I've found a home cooked meal or two on my doorstep when I was ill. However, never before have I experienced what happened this week at a local restaurant. It had been a busy week with extra hours at work and some additional activity scheduled every evening after work. On Friday, I was in class at the community college from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. and then had a rather lengthy conversation with someone who was dealing with emotions connected to a past trauma. Finally, at 7 p.m., I decided to treat myself to dinner out. The restaurant was not crowded. I ordered my meal, enjoyed eating it, and savored a cup of tea afterwards. The waitress returned to my table and asked if I needed anything else. I said, “Only my check.” She then smiled and informed me that my meal had been taken care of, but she didn’t know by whom. Too shocked to respond right away, I finished my tea. As I was taking the last sip, the manager passed through the dining room. I asked what was going on with my bill, and this was the response: “David, you have all kinds of friends. In fact I’m amazed at all the friends you have.” Wiping the crumbs from my lips and a tear or two from my eyes, I put on my coat and headed out the door. As I walked home, there was a warm feeling in my belly from the good food and hot tea. But it was the warmth in my heart that I noticed most of all. Thank you friend(s)!
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SAN JUAN ISLANDER © 2008 |
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