Do you want fries with that?

Have you ever gotten frustrated with your service at a restaurant? We all have at one time or another. What do we usually do? We complain. After a day of visiting with my family in Lexington and hearing food service stories, I began to ponder this problem. Today while raking up the leaves in my yard I had a revelation!

Most of time it’s young people working these jobs and they’re just trying to make enough money to buy gas or pay their car insurance. They might be planning for a big date on the weekend or hoping they will get enough money this month to help with college payments. They are not planning on making this a career, so they don’t try to be happy with their work.

Some do make food service their life. I have friends in Charleston who own a Chick Fil-A on Hwy 17 in Summerville, (shameless plug, Melody and Chris). The ladies at Waffle House on Pelham and I-85 haven’t changed in years and the sweet ladies that get up and make the biscuits at Hardees consider this a calling.. All these, and more, are making food service their life. But most of the workers are young people. We all have friends or family members who were in food service at sometime or other. All three of my kids worked at restaurants at some point in their lives.

What got me to pondering this issue was hearing my nieces talk about their experiences. Kelly worked for two weeks and quit because she didn’t want to wear the polyester uniform! Rebecca quit after two weeks because they wouldn’t give her her birthday off! My nephew, Robert, did work for the ‘Golden Arches’ for 8 years before he found another life. These were young people who had other things they wanted to do in life. Kelly now owns her own photography studio, Rebecca is now an RN, and Robert is in the banking business.

These are the ones who are cooking your food or waiting your table. So smile and encourage them. This will make them feel better, and you will get better service.
Who knows, one day that young person might be taking your children’s wedding photos, giving you dialysis, or helping you get a loan!

Paw Paw

I just met Jeremiah's (our Middle School Minister) little neice in the hallway at our offices. I talked to her awhile and enjoyed our visit. She is a beautiful little girl with curley black hair. As she was leaving she looked at me and said bye 'Paw Paw '. Do I look like everybodys 'Paw Paw'?

I am getting a haircut today and I am thinking about getting this grey hair colored and spiked up!

What do you think?

Water Heater Troubles

We were having trouble with our pressure release valve on our water heater at home. We would wake up; get ready for a shower, and no hot water, pretty frustrating! I have to go down to the basement and go under our house to reset the water heater when this happens. We have room in this section under the house to stand up so this is not a bad job, if water isn’t standing in this area.

Monday morning I went to take my shower and no hot water! Christy was still in the bed so I put a sweatshirt on and headed down to the basement. Arriving at the Water Heater area I put on some old tennis shoes that I leave down there to work in. Opened the door to go under the house and discovered the area was flooded. I tried to put some old paint cans down on the red mud (when red clay gets wet, it is mud) they floated away. So I stepped on some stones that were down there, trying not to fill my shoes with the red water. After arriving at my destination and resetting the heater I though I would take an alternate route back and try to keep water from getting in my shoes. I moved down the edge of the water and was getting ready to jump to the basement entrance when my feet had another idea! I slipped and fell on my back in the red muddy water! Water in my shoes, underwear and sweatshirt soaked, laying on my back in water on a cold Monday morning. This is not the way I planned on starting my day.

I got up and entered the basement took off my shoes, and headed upstairs, with red mud on my back and bottom! Thinking that Christy was still in the bed asleep, I started down the hall, she came up from behind me and said “well this is a sight you don’t see everyday!” It was pretty startling to me also; I thought I was the only one awake!

Some days it doesn’t pay to get up early!

Spread it Around

I am embarrassed. Today I had breakfast with a group of Senior Citizens from our church and I forgot my wallet. This wouldn’t have been as embarrassing if I had not left without paying my bill at our last breakfast! Jerry Welmaker bailed me out that day.

I have heard of, and seen, ministers that are always the last ones to get their wallets out at restaurants with church people. I don’t want to be that kind of minister (that doesn’t mean that I don’t like free golf), so I will pay Mel Daniels back as soon as I can.

This experience got me to thinking, maybe all I was doing was following the lead of our new president and spreading the wealth around?

Jingle Bells

My two year old grandson singing Jingle Bells after a bunch of Hallowen candy and Sprite.