Faithful Steward

 

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. ~1 Peter 4:10

The source for this blog comes from a Lifestyle article I found on Fox News at the beginning of January.  In reading it, my heart was so touched, I just have to share the story with y'all.

If you live in Pensacola, Florida, and frequent the Scenic 90 Cafe for your morning cup of joe, chances are you've seen Mr. Lee, a retired Navy veteran, sitting at his usual seat at the counter.  The restaurant staff look forward to him coming through the door like clockwork every morning.

Mr. Lee's preferred breakfast?  "A house special that includes an over-easy egg, chees grits, a biscuit, and a sausage patty."  Sounds good and hearty to me!

While he dines, Mr. Lee regales the staff with stories from his 30-year service in the Navy and shares tales about his wife, who is now deceased, and his children as they were growing up.  Server, Kelli Gomez, has been waiting on Mr. Lee for at least a year now.

"He loves watching us separate filters for the coffee machine (and) watching us grind the coffee - and one day, he just started helping with this," she said.

Lee's daughter, Tracy Rutland, says he does so "because that's just how he was raised."  She has fond memories of her dad being the first to offer a helping hand to anyone in need in his community.

Owner and head chef of the Scenic 90 Cafe, Gus Silivos, says, "The people that come in and sit there primarily are either single people or widowers who come and really socialize with our staff."  And it's a great opportunity for veterans living in the community to connect with young people.

In March, Mr. Lee will be celebrating his 90th birthday.  According to the article, the restaurant staff had already planned decorating his customary chair with balloons, but then got the idea to expand their scope.  Since they'd already shared a bit of news about Mr. Lee on their Facebook page, and had received such positive feedback, they decided to go all out, asking people to send Mr. Lee a birthday card.  Can you just imagine how many cards this delightful man will get, especially as the address was published in the Fox News article?  Danny and I have already sent ours, and it's not too late for you to join in.  Here's the address:

Mr. Lee c/o Scenic 90 Cafe; 701 Scenic Highway, Pensacola, FL 32503.

I don't know about you, but I wish there would be more inspiring and uplifting stories like this one in the news.  There are simply so many folks out there who are using, joyfully, the gifts God has given them to serve others.

And we should celebrate them every chance we get!

Amen!

Here is the link to the original article.