The minute you enter the restaurant, you can’t escape her warm smile. I’ve known her for over 20 years, but she still looks the same. She’s small, unassuming, always running around tending to the countless emergencies a big restaurant like hers encounters every day. She seems to know everybody; but most of all, she always has a smile and a word of encouragement. Every time I visit her, I’m in awe.
Life hasn’t been perfect for her. She’s had some family problems and serious health problems. At one point, she started having migraines that were so strong she couldn’t stand up. The doctors discovered a large tumor in her brain and had to operate. It took her a few years to get back to normal, but she kept coming to work and, despite the discomfort and pain, she missed very few days.
I think a lot of people come to her restaurant just to get one of her smiles and a simple word of encouragement! But there’s a lot more that goes on in the life of this woman.
She often offers food to the needy. Thankfully, more and more restaurant owners have started doing that, and much of the food that otherwise would be thrown away gets served at homeless shelters.
She employs former drug addicts and jail inmates. It takes a sizeable amount of faith and trust to give some of these rough characters a chance, and many have been touched and even redeemed, as to be trusted once again is a valuable and priceless gift.
Also, she offers hospitality to single mothers and their children. I call this Christianity at its best, when you open your life and share with your “neighbors” in need. It can get tiring, messy, and possibly even a bit risky. On a few occasions, she was instrumental in saving someone from overdosing. I was shocked when I heard that, and the first question that came to my mind was, Would I have that much love?
To me, she’s a modern-day saint.