Serving Up Waffles and Hope

Have you ever left Waffle House with tears of happiness? Oh…you haven’t? So, it is just me? Hmmm…perhaps it is because the littles and I are on the tail-end of a weeklong trip without Dad to help out. We felt the need to leave home for a week as we just couldn’t co-exist with the the house painters who are readying our home for the July auction**. Surely I don’t have to tell you that my eyes are bloodshot, my body is tired and the kids are beyond ready to run and play in their own backyard. However, the trip has been a sweet time of fellowship with many dear folks.

Back to the happy tears upon leaving the Powder Springs, Georgia, Waffle House this morning. Perhaps my happiness and contentment comes from our experience at this restaurant today. I think so.

As we travel around the nation we realize this world may have its problems and brokenness but there are good people who care about others in this world. There is hope and there is strength in the goodness of Americans and humanity. When someone wakes up and goes to her job with a good attitude and works as if she is serving the Lord and not humans, then it is obvious to others and this makes the day brighter and the world more hopeful.

One of those folks who spreads that hope is Audi at Waffle House Unit #1496 in Powder Springs, GA, right outside of Hiram. Ya’ll, she cared for us as if she knew we were travel-weary. Maybe she could tell?

 

Ms. Audi made sure the kiddos were content with coloring books and crayons while she kept my coffee hot and filled. She is a conversationalist but not too much so that we couldn’t very comfortably concentrate on the waffles, bacon, hash browns and over-easy eggs. When Audi realized I was on my phone feebly attempting to locate our next hotel (with a pool–which was a deal-breaker), she offered helpful suggestions for a nice local hotel + pool and a glow golf place for the kids to burn energy. She explained the location, as well as the full breakfast which they serve.

She just seemed to take charge of the whole situation which brought an ease and release of anxiety to this tired mama. Carefully calculating the check so that our combos would be as economical as possible, she delivered the bill with a full to-go cup of coffee for Mama and a handful of creamers. Oh, bless her heart!! As I reached for my traveling mug to fill with the coffee, she must have sensed that the thing had not been washed in a week so she took care of rinsing and refreshing my mug just as thoroughly and well as she refreshed my soul and restored my hope in humanity.

You see, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to brighten someone’s walk in life. It really doesn’t. Ms. Audi in Powder Springs, Georgia, is one of the many thousands, no, hundreds of thousands, of folks in this nation who just simply care for others. She goes to her job at Waffle House not to become rich but, in our book, she sure is famous. Her attitude is rock-star status! Her care for folks she will probably never see again is commendable.

If you are rich and famous, I don’t have a clue who are you, most likely. I don’t keep up with pop culture, the latest TV shows, songs, movies, actresses, actors, sports figures, and all that jazz. Our family appreciates the realness of real people, those hard-working folks who are doing the best they can in life. That’s our people. That’s us, in fact. Today I was reminded by Ms. Audi that smiling, helping, offering that extra coffee and handful of crayons doesn’t take much extra time but sure does go a long way toward restoring hope in America. Now THAT’S the kind of change I can stand behind. That’s a kind of hope that we all can appreciate.

Thank-you, new friend Ms. Audi, for filling our bellies and easing our traveling burdens on this hot summer day in north Georgia. Thanks for the hope we felt when ya’ll shouted ‘good-bye’ as the kids and I walked out the door. Thanks for the kind hospitality to strangers. We won’t forget you and, perhaps, will some day return to see you there.

If so, I’ll take that smothered, capped, diced, and peppered!

**If you are new to our Heritage Ways family, you should know that we are in the process of selling our home in middle TN to move into an RV with our three youngest children. We hope to go about the country spreading joy, hope and reflecting Jesus to America. Our mission is to serve others while teaching our children that life is not all about Self. Please take time to visit around this website, as well as our YouTube channel and Instagram and Facebook accounts.