Guest blog by SJ

It was a beautiful Saturday morning and my two teenage children were home together. With a daughter in college, it was a treat for all of us to be in one place at the same time. It also made for a great opportunity to go out for breakfast and spend some quality time together. We arrived at a local restaurant and were seated pretty quickly. However, as we were seated, we were told the service was slow that day due to a shortage of staff. Grateful for the honest communication, we made sure to spend our time talking and catching up while we waited. As we enjoyed our time together, we noticed the table next to us get increasingly impatient and angry. We heard their waitress (who was not waiting on our table) tell them their food would be out in 5 minutes. Shortly after, the waitress fulfilled her promise and came out with that table’s food.

Suddenly, the people seated at the table got up and walked out. They did not touch their food, and we learned they also left without paying. My kids, especially my 15 year old son, were shocked. My son couldn’t believe these people would just leave without paying. He felt really bad for their waitress, but knew it was out of his control.

The same waitress helped our waiter carry out our food. My son, still in astonishment over what he witnessed, was eager to make things better. As the waitress helped pass out our plates, he opened his wallet and gave her a gift of a tip.

She was surprised and excited. He hoped that would help make her day better. He didn’t say much, but the look of comfort on his face spoke louder than words. He performed an act of kindness that brought some joy to a bad situation. I could not be more proud of the gentleman my son is becoming!