I posted on New Year's Day after again feeling like I had not written anything for a long time. Maybe I just enjoy writing so much making a 7 day gap between writing seem like a month. New Year's Eve was amazing. We had the opportunity to serve a couple at church that evening by opening the church up so they could be married that night. They brought their nephew who performed the ceremony which was very special. The entire ceremony was wonderful. The guests filled the church without a whimper that they were giving up a holiday to be there. It was beautiful.
It was about then that I started not feeling well. As each day passed, I felt a little worse until now I have survived four days of full blown flu symptoms and have watched more television that I care to admit. Not all the shows were bad for I got to watch some re-runs of Home Improvement, Step by Step, and others. It was nice to watch shows that had some moral teaching and especially ones where no one was mutilated, killed, kidnapped or whatever. I actually felt good after watching the old shows. Sad.
There was a bright spot in the past eight days though. It was last Sunday. When I woke that morning, I was horribly sick and didn't even make it to church. When my wife returned home after services, she was hungry and I was starving and possibly near death, needing food. After the holidays our cupboards and refrigerator were both fairly empty but I had a way around the lack of nourishment in the house. On my birthday in late November, my mother in law sent me a gift card from Olive Garden. Thank you mom! A hot bowl of minestrone sounded like just what I needed. We bundled up and went out. Olive Garden in our area is always packed and there is always at least a 20 minute wait. Surprisingly, we were seated right away.
Our first encounter with the person who would be entrusted with the task of filling us up with wonderful food was delightful. I used that really long description in place of waitress, server, or whatever the correct terminology is because I am not sure what the correct terminology is. However, no matter what the correct terminology is, she was beyond what description might bring to mind. Her name is Kaitlyn B. and she was awesome. She was polite, patient, professional, sweet, and cheerful. As I watched her care for us, I could not help but see this young lady coming from a home where she was nourished and treasured, all the while honoring her parents and family with the quality of person she was. You see, I couldn't call her a waitress or server because I really felt I was being cared for and for anyone to feel that way, the person would have to care. I believe she did care and it showed.
Usually, I am a lot more friendly and outgoing but the flu had consumed so much of my normal energy that it took me a while to brighten up and talk with her more. I love to engage people in all areas of life and I even felt a little bad that I was off my game.
I had chicken parmesan which came with a side of spaghetti and a bowl of minestrone, yes, that fabulous, hot, liquid that motivated me to brave the cold. After I finished the bowl of minestrone Kaitlyn asked if I would like a refill. I declined commenting that I had better play it safe so I could eat my meal. She brought our meals and checked in on us here and there. After sufficient time to eat had passed, Kaitlyn noticed that I had a fair size left over and offered a box, which I readily accepted. On a return trip she asked if we wanted dessert. My wife and I both sadly declined, commenting that it proved to be a good decision to not accept the second bowl of soup because I was too full to finish the meal, let alone any dessert.
It was then I heard what is the real subject of today's writing. I thought it was beautiful and so amazing that I wanted to share it with all of you. I got her permission to share the story and use her name.
Part of what amazed me about Kaitlyn was the story but also the fact that of all the moments in this young lady's life, this one popped up so quickly. She held those times she was about to share as special and dear. Her story told of moments that were not just moments but treasures that would last a lifetime.
The moments that she treasured were not expensive trips to France, jewelry, new cars or such. Her moments were not of things but of sharing something special. A special tradition if you will. While the moment really didn't cost much, no price tag could be put on it.
After I commented about not finishing my meal, making a good decision to not have the second bowl of soup and not being able to enjoy desert, Kaitlyn immediately shared her story.
It sounded like she and her grandfather had a wonderful relationship and part of that relationship was to go out to eat together on occasion. That in itself is a sweet and beautiful thing and something that warms my heart. They shared a meal out but there was something they did that was very special. They ate dessert first!
Now sit for a moment and let that sink in. They did what many people do, they regularly shared a meal out together. However, they did it in their own, secret, special way - they had dessert first. That made it special. That made it something only they shared. This young lady's life is filled with growing up, school, vacations, joys and sadness, proms, the future, and any other of a million things a young person experiences in life and she valued having dessert first. It was something common made special.
I say this to all of us - we can learn from Kaitlyn and her grandfather. A great way to express our love for one another can be by making everyday moments special. We don't have to run up the credit card showering each other with gfts. We don't have to wait for Valentine's Day, Sweetest Day, or a birthday to create some magnificent memory for the person we love. We can create a special memory by having dessert first.
Make any day special, what the heck - make every day special by giving an ordinary day a little tweak. You never know, you might be creating a memory that will last forever. Send a card for no reason once a month. Sneak over and put a note on the seat of your love's car. Take them lunch. Have a picnic dinner after work every second Friday of the month. Whatever it is, be creative. Make the effort to do something special that just the two of you share. I loved her story and hope it inspires us all to take a little more time to be a little more creative
Kaitlyn, you have encouraged me to make ordinary moments special, so the next time I am at Olive Garden, I'll take the cheesecake first!