Entertaining Angels

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. I'd rather go out to breakfast than dinner any time. This statement really has nothing to do with my following story but I'm sharing my opinion just so you understand my passion for this particular chow-time. There is something about the options of breakfast foods and the time of day that is comforting to me.

This last Wednesday Brad and I decided to go out to breakfast in Tacoma. We have our usual places we love to dine at but this particular morning Brad found a new restaurant to explore. It was a small homey place called The Old Milwaukee Cafe and Dessert Company. This place was small enough that we weren't sure if we would be able to use credit card, so Brad stopped at the bank to pick up some cash.

The place was quaint and probably consisted of about eight tables. The food was full of flavor and portion and tasted like someone's grandma was in the back whipping up generation-handed down recipes. It seemed that most of their visitors were Tacoma locals.

After finishing our meal the server walked up to our table and told us that someone had taken care of our meal and there would be no bill. I was dumbfounded and looked around thinking what stranger would be so kind. The server wouldn't tell us who paid so we sat there in awe of such a generous act.

The only clue we had was a man that was sitting across from our table when we first arrived eating by himself. He had paid and left by the time we ordered. When he went to leave he looked at me and said the words "God bless you" and smiled kindly. I reiterated the words with a smile back and then he continued by announcing "God bless you all!" to the entire restaurant. He then went on his way and I watched as he walked to his car. Brad was in the middle of a conversation with me and asked what the man had said and I repeated to him what just happened. We both smiled and thought it was a heart-warming gesture.

We still don't know for sure who took care of our check but like to think that it was the joyful individual sitting across from us. I felt very undeserving. Luckily Brad stopped at the bank for cash earlier, so conveniently he could leave our server a kind tip. It's amazing the domino effect an act of generosity can create. It warms my heart and influences me to make someone else's day.

The whole experience that morning stirred up this verse in me:

"Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." -Hebrews 13:1-2