I just had to write about this, as it touched me deeply.  Sunday mornings are reserved for my granddaughters. We have a special routine for Sunday mornings. As many of us as are available jump in our cars and meet at Denny’s for breakfast. It is a special time when we focus on one another without outside interruptions. Our darling waitress, Miriam, always greets us like we were her family members. She has remembered from day one what beverages  and breakfast specialities we each like. She makes our Sunday mornings extra special and it wouldn’t be the same without her.

This morning, it was different, as Miriam was not there.  It just wasn’t the same, but we were told she will be back next Sunday.  It sort of started our breakfast experience off on a bit of a down notes. After breakfast, my granddaughters routinely go to a game in the restaurant where you can win all kinds of stuffed animals just by picking them up with a special claw. You must guide the claw to just the right spot. Once there you drop the claw and, if, you are lucky when the claw rises up again, it will have an animal in its mouth.  Denny’s has lost money on these two, as they rarely leave without a prize. They have both become quite skilled at the game. Today was different. After about $3 worth of tries, my youngest granddaughter returned to the table, obviously disappointed that she had been unable to win anything.  I asked her what she had her eye on and she told me it was a big bear in the corner. He was so wedged in the corner, it would have been a nearly impossible feat to obtain him.  We all consoled her and talked to her about how many times she had been victorious in the past and perhaps next week she would win another prize.

As we were finishing our breakfast and getting ready to pay our bill, I saw a very large man sitting alone having breakfast.  He got up from his seat and walked over to the machine. It was a little surprising to see a man alone playing this game. I kept watching him out of the corner of my eye as he tried time and time again to dislodge the bear. My heart panged a bit, because I knew how much Alexis wanted that bear.  This man had an amazing technique he used to dislodge the bear and I was thoroughly fascinated watching him. He kept putting money into the machine until he finally got the bear. He plucked it from the machine, walked over to our table and handed it to my granddaughter.  We were all just stunned. What a beautiful act of random kindness. She just kept saying, “my goodness, my goodness.” We all started talking about what a wonderful thing he had just done.  His random act of kindness was one that would, once again, restore our faith in humanity. We all went to his table one by one to tell him what a wonderful act of kindness he had performed.  His smile got broader and  broader. As I left I wasn’t sure who had recieved the most joy from this random act of kindness, but I knew I was leaving with my family and he was still sitting there all alone.