It was back in November of last year when I sat at a table in a restaurant and was so struck by the way this young, attractive waitress was doing her job. Then she turned her attention to me. Her name tag read “Jacklyn.” She stood erect, greeted me warmly with a smile and the attentiveness of someone waiting on her very first customer. But her command of her duties clearly indicated I wasn’t her first.
I commended her on her poise and asked her how she came to have it. She smiled, paused for a moment, and said, “Maybe it’s the way I was raised.” I asked her to tell her parents that they did a great job, and she said that she would.
When I finished my meal, I tipped her generously and gave her a note containing a warm thank you and the definition of poise on it, and a reminder to congratulate her parents.
Fast forward to yesterday. I was in the restaurant again for a lunch appointment and Jacklyn was the one to greet me and seat me. I gave her just a tiny reminder and she quickly remembered me. She smiled and told me how she had taken my note home with her and showed it to her mom and that it brought her mom to tears and that she (Jacklyn) now has it hanging on her bedroom wall. She placed her hand on her heart and said it had made their day.
You never know how far a blessing we give to others travels. The Bible instructs us, “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act” (Proverbs 3:27). If we have something to give to brighten someone’s day or lighten someone’s load, even something as “small” as a sincere compliment, give it. Yes, these days we must be careful because we live in a cautious time and people will misunderstand or even reject our overtures of love. But I have decided to live under the influence of love rather than to be controlled by the fear of rejection.
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