I spent most of the morning moving a website to a new server. My eyes were sore and I had a headache…probably because it was way past lunch. I drove to a Chinese restaurant not far from my office…hoping for a quiet lunch and a chance to get caught up on some reading.
I opened the door for an elderly woman and a man…probably her son. They were seated before me and I ended up in the booth behind them. I got my soup and sat down. After a while, the man spoke: “Do you work at ___? You look familiar…” No, I replied. I work at Veracity Technologies. I thought to myself, here we go… no peace and quiet.
Several minutes passed and then the elderly woman turned around. She seemed to be wanting for conversation. We engaged in some polite chit-chat. She was so soft-spoken it was hard to hear her and I’m sure she was having trouble hearing me. She got up and walked around and sat down across from me!
We talked a bit more, she told me she was 83 and that the doctor told her she had high cholesterol…but she still enjoyed eating Chinese food! She was so kind!
She then said, she grew up in Bedford and moved to Anderson (my hometown!) after she got married. Both of her sons were born at St John’s Hospital (where my Mom worked) and they were delivered by Dr. Donaldson (he delivered all of us Heiden kids). As it turns out, the lived in a house about 2 blocks from my Grandmother Heiden!
She lost her husband in 1966 as a result of a car accident. His funeral was held at Brown & Butz – where my father worked. She remembers my Dad and how kind he was to her and her sons. What a small world! I just sat there in awe.
She and her son got up and left. I paid my bill and went to the car. Sitting down, I opened my fortune cookie. It read: “Courtesy Opens Many Doors.” I don’t believe in those random factory fortunes, but what I do know is that one should always exhibit kindness to others.
Key Point To Remember
In Hebrews 13:2 (NIV) the Bible tells us “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” I’m not sure if she was an angel, but her kindness and her memories sure made my day brighter!