Seeing Grace at the Waffle House

We had a moment last night. Well, Angie did and I got to be a watcher from the sideline of one of those situations where we see God move... and awestruck... we just watch! But don't let me get ahead of myself.

My dad received his CT scan results Tuesday. The doctor told him he didn't see any cancer! So last night we were going out to dinner to celebrate. As the time approached, family members were falling off our list due to circumstance, so we postponed to another night.

Still needing to eat, Angie and I took my dad to one of his favorite places, Waffle House! The staff there was incredible. Helpful, friendly, fun, and very accomodating.  My dad looked at his hash browns and decided he couldn't eat them and asked could he have some more instead. Amanda, our server, was so awesome, she said "of course, we want you to be happy!" She separated the food so he could keep eating and had more hash browns made. A couple minutes later Josh, the cook, brought the new ones to my dad to have him check to make sure they were right. We were amazed at the level of service!

Angie, looked at me and explained how moved she was to see people serving others beyond just "give them the food and let them eat!" I agreed. She decided that we would get their names and write to their corporate office about our wonderful experience!

Then it happened. Somehow when Amanda came back over my dad started telling her how he had gained 10 pounds since all his chemo. This led to Amanda sharing with us that her husband had gained his weight back up to 180 from 118 after his tour in Afghanistan. My heart broken. Angie started tearing up! Here we are getting this incredible service... from someone whose sacrifice is so much more than just being friendly on her job.

We started counting up our tip money. I told Angie that I had a tip for Amanda. So having left something first Josh and the other server who assisted us, we spoke to Amanda after we paid. I gave her the money I had buried in my wallet and she said "I am gonna cry, I was really just doing my job!" Angie shared with her how moved we were at her sacrificial giving and that she would never know how blessed we were to see my dad treated so well. Somewhere in the midst I heard Amanda say, "ya'll have no idea what this means to me!" We all cried and hugged! She said you're gonna smell like waffles! We did, and it was okay! We said goodbye! And Angie and I thanked the Lord for letting us see grace at the Waffle House! He is everywhere!

We pray for Amanda and her 180 pound soldier this morning. We thank him for his service and sacrifice. We thank Amanda for seeing a 72 year old cancer patient and meeting him at the point of his need. But, also for the blessing it was for us to see God moved in our lives!

If you are ever in Villa Rica, go see Josh and Amanda at the Waffle House across from the Home Depot. They will care for you! And who knows what God will show you while you're there...