Thursday, January 25, 2024

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.

50 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. I thought so, Christine; that's why I wanted to share it.
      Love and blessings!

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  2. Thank you for this wonderful story, Martha. We are all a gift to each other.

    God bless always.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Victor, we are all gifts to others in our unique ways.
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  3. "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all for the glory of God." I Cor. 10:31 (ESV)

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a heartwarming tale, Martha! The world needs more people like Mr. Lee—a beacon of kindness and service.

    Hugs and blessings

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Veronica, we could surely use more folks like Mr. Lee. They make this world a better place.
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  5. I love these uplifting and inspiring stories, Martha. Thank you for sharing! Love and blessings to you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Trudy, we all need a little light shining in the darkness, don't we? I'm glad you liked it, my friend.
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  6. That is a beautiful story you shared. I hope he has a wonderful Birthday.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope he does, too, Debby. Mr. Lee is certainly one deserving of that.
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  7. Crazy internet in-and-outages over here!
    What a darling tale! Chatty old men are so cute, and I love how those cafe employees have embraced Mr. Lee. I'm picking up a card tomorrow morning!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so happy that you enjoyed this story, Myra, and that you plan to send Mr. Lee a card - wonderful! Sorry to hear about your internet outages. That is always a pain!
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  8. Lovely, heart-warming story about a lovely veteran and some cafe employees! Hugs and blessings!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a heart-warming story, Duta, and one I was so happy to share with all of you.
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  9. What a great story! I love this! Thank you for sharing it. I love that this diner will celebrate his birthday in such a special way! What a blessing!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad the diner has stepped up in such a marvelous way, Pamela. Isn't great when young people embrace the elderly in their community? People are alike in more ways than they are different, and we should all remember that.
      Love and blessings!

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  10. Martha Jane: It warms my heart to hear of the love that this cafe has for this gentleman. We need more of that in this world today. Peace and blessings to you and yours.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Cecelia, we certainly need more of that in our fractured world today.
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  11. This is a delightful story. I don't visit Pensacola as much now as I used to, and I don't think I ever saw this establishment but I wish I had.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Makes me wish the same, Barbara. Mr. Lee is quite the inspiration!
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  12. Sending you a hearty Bravo Zulu for sharing this Ms. Martha Jane. Thank you ma'am.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed this today, J. D.
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  13. Thank you for sharing this, Martha! It is so great to read uplifting news for a change. I will get a card out to Mr. Lee this weekend. Love it!! xo

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    Replies
    1. I'm so glad to hear you'll be sending a card to Mr. Lee, Terri, and that you enjoyed this post. Yes, we all need to read and listen to happier news.
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  14. Dearest Martha Jane,
    Yes, stories like this need to be heard!
    Sadly the news is mostly negative and often even fabricated by the Fake News.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Fabricated is the right word here, Mariette, and it breaks my heart. May good news stories multiply!
      Love and blessings!

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    2. They will as prayers by so many do have POWER! 💞

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  15. Thanks be to God that there are still people living by His commandments, J. S. Mr. Lee and the staff of the cafe certainly demonstrate that.
    Love and blessings!

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a heartwarming and delightful story, Martha. God bless you for sharing a piece of news that doesn't make me want to, as my Grandpa used to say, "take a running fit." It gives us hope that there are little pieces of Heaven living around us and we need to both recognize them, praise God for them, and return the love and grace that walks in them. Thank you for smothering the din of hellish chaos for a while, my friend--love you for doing that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so very happy to share such honorable actions of others, about which we need to hear more. In spite of all the craziness in this world, I do believe that most people desire to live a life that honors God and neighbor.
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  17. Amen, let's hear it for a whole lot more uplifting stories!

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    Replies
    1. I totally agree, Linda!
      Love and blessings!

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    2. Lifting you up in prayer this evening, friend. You are loved.

      Delete
  18. thecontemplativecat here. God bless, Mr. Lee. He may never know how many lives he impacted.

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    Replies
    1. That is so true, Susan! It reminds me that each and every one of us have that God-given power to affect others with encouragement and caring.
      Love and blessings!

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  19. What a wonderful story! Mr. Lee sounds like an inspiring man. Thank you for sharing such good news!

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    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Mrs. White. We all need to be inspired by good news.
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  20. We need to love one another as Jesus said. Aloha!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Indeed, we so, Cloudia. What a wonderful world this would be is we lived into loving like Jesus!
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  21. I love inspiring stories about real people! Thanks for sharing about Mr. Lee. He sounds like a treasure indeed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, he does, and I love feel-good stories. There's simply too much negativity in this world.
      Love and blessings!

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  22. I love this heart-warming story, Martha! It's so nice to hear about Mr. Lee and enjoy real-life stories of people like him. God bless! Karen Friday

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad this post inspired you, Karen. We do need more stories like this.
      Love and blessings!

      Delete
  23. we do certainly need to see and read this type of caring good news!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amen, Jean! Let's hope for more stories like these in the future.
      Love and blessings!

      Delete

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