While I was eating dinner, an older gentleman came in and sat next to me at the counter. It was rather crowded, so that's not unusual. The gentleman was talking on his Blackberry cell phone the entire time he was there. Apparently he was traveling through the area, and was talking to his teen aged son, who apparently lives with his estranged wife. This man was apparently trying to push on down the road tonight, driving all night, to go see his son in Louisiana. I live in South Carolina, for those of you who don't know, so this man had a long drive ahead of him. I heard him mention that he had not seen his son in almost 2 months. Part of that time, his estranged wife was on the phone with him. She apparently said that because he was out traveling all the time, it's his own fault that he hasn't seen his son in so long. Obviously, I don't know all the details involved here, but what I listened to was a sad story. By the time I left, the gentleman was in tears, his face wet, and his voice hot with emotion. This gentleman apparently had taken a job that puts him on the road about 95 per cent of the time, far away from his home and loved ones.
I'm alone most of the time these days. I lost a very dear friend and companion back in July of last year. I don't mind being alone, but since I am alone most of the time, it's amazing what you overhear at places like the Waffle House.
Tonight, on the other side of me, I listened to a conversation between a young couple, apparently engaged to be married. The young man had just been laid off from his job, and now the wedding plans were on hold. The lady was very distressed, as many young ladies are likely to be when the wedding of their dreams gets put on hold.
I left the Waffle House tonight full of food, but quite frankly sad. I had a couple of tears in my eyes when I walked out the door. I consider myself one of the lucky ones. I'm going to begin a new job next week that quite frankly is well below my skill set, but I'm still anxious to have. We all have bills to pay, we all have obligations to fulfill, and this job will help me to do what I need to do to survive right now. I'll still be here, of course, and on my new site, JCNN as well.
Be thankful for what you have, if you have anything. Don't ever take it for granted. As some say, the good Lord gives you things, and the good Lord can surely take them away in a big hurry. If you have family, friends, people who are willing to look out for you, take a little time and thank God for them.
I'm lucky enough to have those things. I hope you do too. If you have them, or whatever you have, take time to be thankful for them.
Please, from one friend to another, never, ever, take anything in your life for granted. Thank whomever you pray to for what's good in your life.
Amen. Life is never promised to us. I worked at Waffle House restaurants for years and this was a place where you could always be in touch with the fabric of society.
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