Skip to main content

Pay It Forward, Again

There are not many times when Ryan and I are both left speechless, but it happened one evening when we were out to dinner with the boys. It was our last night at the beach and a thunderstorm was threatening to hit. We chose the covered porch area because the wait for an inside table was over 30 minutes long. I realized too late that the outdoor dining also served as the smokers' hangout.

With the Olympics playing on the TV, the big storm hovering above and three rambunctious boys, conversation with the revolving door of smokers came easy. Our food took awhile to arrive and Ben became fiercely hungry. Ben's mood was not at its best - he was tired and hungry, never a good combination for anyone. One of the quieter smokers brought us out popcorn. He mentioned that things were a bit slow in the kitchen. We thanked him, and assumed he was an owner.

After we ate a delicious dinner, the waitress came over to tell us that our bill had been paid. My husband tried to guess who our thoughtful patron was, and finally on the third guess, he was correct. It was the man who brought us the popcorn and to our surprise, he was not the restaurant's owner.

I always look to Ryan for the best way to handle situations like this - do we go in and thank the man? Do we leave without saying anything? We agreed to write a note to him and leave it with the waitress, but before we left, he came back out to smoke. I gave him the note and personally thanked him. As Ryan walked out, the man commented on Ryan's patience.

I always wonder what we look like to outsiders - to some crazy, to others patient. I am sure there are a whole host of other adjectives in between. I am not sure what motivated this quiet man to help us out, but he saw something and he acted on it. It made our night very special. An ordinary dinner turned into something we will remember forever.

** Pay It Forward - May 2010


Comments

  1. This is a wonderful post. Yes, we all cope in different ways and degrees. I am very thankful to sleep through the night too.
    Also, I want to thank you for telling me about Grin Kids that day we met in front of Target. My family was selected and all 10 of us get to go to Disney in a couple of months. We can't even manage a trip to visit grandparents, so taking a vacation seemed impossible, especially with the 3 oldest starting college in 2, 4, and 6 years. Thank you very much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Whoops, I responded to a different post. Sorry!

      Delete
  2. I am so glad you told me about this - it made my day. I never know how someone will respond to me walking up to them and talking to them. I am so happy for your family - if you want to chat about Disney before you go, let me know.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you for reading my post. I appreciate you taking the time to comment. If you wish to contact me directly, please let me know and I will email you.

Popular posts from this blog

Parenting an Adult Child with Disabilities

  "Parenting an Adult Child with Disabilities" is a series on eSpeciallyBen. As Ben approached 18, it was clear our role changed as parents. We needed to help Ben transition into adulthood. These stories are meant to assist other families who face, or will face, some of the same challenges. Talking About the Future Guest Post - Matt Wilson Legal Guardianship, Medicaid and SSI Researching Group Homes Questions to Ask at a Group Home Visit Referral Packet for Group Homes Getting Assistance from a Care Manager From Group Home Placement to Discharge Reaching for Independence

He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

After my post, Brotherly Love , I received an email from a reader who reminded me of this song. I knew the song, but had never really thought about the words and the meaning behind them. I looked it up and thought others might see the lyrics in a new light.   He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother The road is long With many a winding turn That leads us to who knows where Who knows when But I'm strong Strong enough to carry him He ain't heavy, he's my brother. So on we go His welfare is of my concern No burden is he to bear We'll get there For I know He would not encumber me If I'm laden at all I'm laden with sadness That everyone's heart Isn't filled with the gladness Of love for one another. It's a long, long road From which there is no return While we're on the way to there Why not share And the load Doesn't weigh me down at all He ain't heavy, he's my brother. He's my brother He ain't h

ABC's of ABA

A few weeks ago I attended a workshop presented by a behavior therapist. As it turned out, I went to a conference on the same topic over a year ago. I will describe what I have taken away from these methods in my own words - but please take a look at the links I have provided below. After I learned about this, life with children made a lot more sense to me. Not that this is earth shattering material, but it helped me to better understand the hows, whats and whys of behavior in children, and occasionally husbands. I am in no way an expert in this - just a parent who wants to share a behavior strategy that has worked in our home. I hope to inspire others to explore it further.  Any errors in information comes from me and cannot be blamed on the presenters. Also, you may have seen ABA - Applied Behavior Analysis - connected most often with Autism - please do not let this deter you if your child is not autistic. I use these methods with all my children, none of which are labeled au