r-positive: December 2013

I found Christmas in a busy restaurant

SALT LAKE CITY — It seems like this Christmas has come quicker than most and is about to end the same way. I have been feeling badly that I haven't done much to enjoy the holiday.

It really hasn't felt much like Christmas at all — until last Wednesday night.

I work as a waitress part time. Wednesday was very busy night and I was scrambling to keep up with the demands of a full restaurant. A couple in their early 30s came in and was shown to a back corner booth. As I approached the couple they told me a little story about themselves.

Years ago they struggled financially. However, they were celebrating a special occasion and they had decided to go out for dinner. At the conclusion of dinner, the waitress informed them that someone had paid for their dinner.

"It was Christmas at the time," the couple told me. "Because of that experience we do the very same thing every year at Christmas time for someone else, anonymously."...
(full story)

SALT LAKE CITY — It seems like this Christmas has come quicker than most and is about to end the same way. I have been feeling badly that I haven't done much to enjoy the holiday.

It really hasn't felt much like Christmas at all — until last Wednesday night.
I work as a waitress part time. Wednesday was very busy night and I was scrambling to keep up with the demands of a full restaurant. A couple in their early 30s came in and was shown to a back corner booth. As I approached the couple they told me a little story about themselves.
Years ago they struggled financially. However, they were celebrating a special occasion and they had decided to go out for dinner. At the conclusion of dinner, the waitress informed them that someone had paid for their dinner.
"It was Christmas at the time," the couple told me. "Because of that experience we do the very same thing every year at Christmas time for someone else, anonymously."

Read more at http://www.ksl.com/?nid=1009&sid=28123883#yWjFC4Iuym2dI1kL.99

SALT LAKE CITY — It seems like this Christmas has come quicker than most and is about to end the same way. I have been feeling badly that I haven't done much to enjoy the holiday.

“Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said,

"It made a difference for that one.”

― Loren Eiseley