This was told to me by my wife of her experience during her veterans day dinner yesterday.
I work out of state, and have been gone since Sept, and may be gone till after Christmas. So we didnt get to enjoy what we call " our Thanksgiving " together this year. So she took our 13 year old son out to the Golden Coral for evening dinner. The place was packed. As she walked up to pay for our sons plate, the waitress said to her, " Do you mind sitting with a veteran who is alone? I have been asking all day and most people say no." To which my wife replied, " Bring them all to my table!" Her explanation to me was, when we first go to boot camp, our first meal is with total strangers, and they become family. When we report to a new command, we eat with total strangers, and they become family. Why would any one say no today?
She sat down with my son who was very uneasy with the ordeal, but I hope he had his ears and mind open for this conversation my wife had with the vet that sat with them at the table. Through the conversation she learned this particular vet was a homeless vet who stayed at a local shelter. He seemed happy to have some one to talk to and spoke freely. He did work, but had turned to drinking after he got out and really messed his life up. I will spare his personal details, but will say he is sober now and proud of his accomplishments in getting this together with a job.
He told my wife a story of a day at the homeless shelter. They we told there would be no staff and no one to cook that day for them, they had to fend for themselves. So he gathered everyone up that had food stamps there and told them if they would all pitch in, he would go get the food, and cook for every one there. Well they did and he cooked for every one, down to desert, a banana based desert he was proud of. After lunch, a little girl, who was there with her mother came to him and asked him when would he be able to cook for them again because it was so good.
Folks, That's all there is to tell about that little story, but there is a lot there. I dont know what put that man in that homeless shelter, or how long he will be there. But he had a mission and sense of purpose that day, to serve people. I'm certain this isnt what he would call the high point of his life, but he still found a sense of purpose in helping everyone around him. He made that little girls day something special just by cooking for her, her mom, and friends at the shelter. I don't imagine many people actually want to be homeless, but I'm certain that man was very glad to be right where he was that day, and wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
Seems even when we are in a bad place, with the right frame of mind, we will find we are right where we need to be.
