“The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed;  those who help others are helped.” Proverbs 11:25

The restaurant was crowded, but it was an all-you-can-eat buffet, so I should have expected it.

The table in front of me had four children sitting alone.  Their mother sat at the table next to them.  Consumed with the man sitting next to her, she paid no attention to what her children were doing.

I watched as these children brought plates of rolls, bowls of ice cream and plates of dessert to the table.  Without touching any of it, they left for more.

After several minutes, the ice cream began to melt and make a mess all over the table.  The waitress assumed it was an abandoned table and cleaned it up.  The mother, still consumed with the man next to her, never noticed a thing.

After several more minutes, the children returned with more plates of food, dessert, etc and began to complain to their mom that all the ice cream was gone.  The mother called the waitress to her table, proceeded to curse her out for throwing away her children’s food, and then demanded that they now eat for free.

The waitress maintained her composure, apologized and attempted to resolve the issue before the mother made an even bigger scene.

The waitress came over to see if we needed anything.  I replied no, but proceeded to thank her for serving with a smile on her face and with such a positive attitude in the midst of a chaotic and negative situation.

Tears formed in her eyes.  I then asked how she was doing and how her day was going.

She broke down and said she only had a few hours of sleep.  She got off her first job at 5am and had to be at this job at 2pm.  Her two-year old was not sleepy so she was unable to get much of a nap in between jobs.

She thanked me for asking and for complementing her.  She said that although they work hard, all she and the staff get are complaints from the management team.  She said it felt good to know someone recognized her hard work.

This world is full of hurting people.  You would be surprised how a simple hello, how are you, or a smile can brighten someone’s day.  These random acts of kindness cost nothing, yet few of us do it.

We all have issues we are dealing with and sometimes it is hard to realize that someone may have it worse than we do.  Sometimes we magnify, or make so big, the negative in our lives that the positive goes unnoticed.  Always remember, “Someone is praying for the blessings you take for granted.”

People are wearing masks, although beautiful on the outside, covering some traumatic pain, deep wounds, and hurtful scars.  I have found what Booker T. Washington said is true, “If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.”

Someone needs your smile, your hello, your words of encouragement, your touch or your time.

I hate buffets for several reasons, so it surprised my husband when I asked to go to one.  I believe God led us there to be a source of inspiration to that tired, over worked, under paid, and unappreciated waitress.

Kindness is infections.  “Kindness is the language the deaf CAN hear and the blind CAN see.” Dare to spread it to someone you encounter this week.

Right now, as you are reading this, ask yourself, who can I be a blessing to on this day?  If you think there is no one, ask God to open your eyes and show you the person in your path who is hurting, depressed, defeated or overwhelmed and needs your smile, encouragement, touch or time.

“The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed;  those who help others are helped.” Proverbs 11:25

If you liked this post, you may also like “Giving Thanks: A Lifestyle Not a Holiday“, “Count Your Blessings, Not Your Problems“, and “When Life Happens, How Will You Respond”

~Keishawna