- Jun 27, 2003
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THE DELI
A recent Friday night found my husband, Jeff, our two daughters and me at one of our favorite places to go out for dinner, Jason's Deli. It was not long after we had placed our orders and sat down when a man with long hair and a scraggly mustache slumped into a booth near ours. From the look of his bulging overcoat, everything he owned was stuffed into the pockets. My daughters tried not to stare as he munched noisily on the complimentary crackers. I leaned over and whispered to Jeff, Do you think they'll ask him to leave?
Just then one of the diners got up from the table where he was having dinner with his family. He walked over to the man and spoke to him, then went to have a chat with a waitress. Minutes later, a huge deli sandwich, surrounded by a mountain of potato chips and pickles, and a mug of fresh coffee arrived at the man's table. He flashed a smile to his benefactor and dug in.
An hour-long sermon on the theme of kindness could not have been more eloquent than this simple gesture. That night Jeff, my daughters and I left the restaurant filled with good food and renewed spirits - and a strong determination to pass on that kind of generosity whenever we too were able.
By Patricia Butler Dyson
Submitted by Richard
A recent Friday night found my husband, Jeff, our two daughters and me at one of our favorite places to go out for dinner, Jason's Deli. It was not long after we had placed our orders and sat down when a man with long hair and a scraggly mustache slumped into a booth near ours. From the look of his bulging overcoat, everything he owned was stuffed into the pockets. My daughters tried not to stare as he munched noisily on the complimentary crackers. I leaned over and whispered to Jeff, Do you think they'll ask him to leave?
Just then one of the diners got up from the table where he was having dinner with his family. He walked over to the man and spoke to him, then went to have a chat with a waitress. Minutes later, a huge deli sandwich, surrounded by a mountain of potato chips and pickles, and a mug of fresh coffee arrived at the man's table. He flashed a smile to his benefactor and dug in.
An hour-long sermon on the theme of kindness could not have been more eloquent than this simple gesture. That night Jeff, my daughters and I left the restaurant filled with good food and renewed spirits - and a strong determination to pass on that kind of generosity whenever we too were able.
By Patricia Butler Dyson
Submitted by Richard
