This story, from Bro. Lee Vail, is just too good not to share with you all. It's message:  all Angels have wings (You, too, can be an Angel!). I know you will enjoy, and be blessed by, this true story. I believe it is a beautiful story with which to begin the Christmas Season.                    
Yours in Christ, Tom

"I was sitting at the counter at a Waffle House in Athens, Alabama, while waiting on my son to meet me to travel to Nashville to watch the Titians get whipped by Brett Favre's Jets, and was spiritually awakened by what I was blessed to learn was a Waffle House Angel. Now, I have to preface everything I'm about to say by letting you know that I am among the top fans of Waffle Houses everywhere. The food's good and they're not only open all night, but they never close, even on holidays. [In fact, I was somewhat perturbed last year when I noticed a sign on the grill at the Waffle House in Northport, Alabama, that reads, "Be sure to turn the grill off after the last order is finished". Now,I wasn't sure how to take that since there never IS a "last order" in a Waffle House. It made me think of End Times, and prophecies of Last Days! (You know,the things that make you go, "Hmmmmm.".)]

Anyway,...back to Athens. There are six ladies working the early morning shift. Three are white, and three are black. There is an obvious harmony among them. The place is crowded, and yet the service is excellent. The cook's name is Nikki. She is a fairly young, attractive Afro-American lady. The atmosphere is busy, but peaceful. People sit and eat and talk and laugh. The waitresses are operating on all six cylinders. They are taking care of their customers,...and they care for one another. Each Waffle House Angel kept a smile and a good attitude. It struck me as an unusually outstanding staff of people.

And then some of the reason for that became clear: Nikki, while cooking, and humming some tune, turned briefly to one employee, shouted her name, and said, "I love you!".  The employee told Nikki she loved her, too, and I thought, "Hmmm, they must be good friends." Then Nikki turned in the opposite direction at the grill and repeated the same words after calling another employee's name. And again, and again, she turned until she had told every one of her co-workers that she loved them, and they all told her that they loved her, too, all while they kept working and serving. Wow. Simple choice. Simple act. And yet it affected not only the Staff but at least some of the customers. You can count me in that number.

Nikki, I may never see you again, but you touched my life and made me want to tell people I know, and work with, and live with, that I love them too. What you did was very important. But I'm sure you probably already knew that.

We're all busy today. We always are. So stay where you are and work, or play, or sit on your couch. But take a minute and tell those around you that you love them. It may be, by far, the most important thing you do all day long. We hear the Angels speaking in the Bible. The word, "Angel", simply means "Messenger". Nikki shared a message. Nikki was a message. And I heard her loud and clear. I hope her Boss knows how special she and her co-workers all are. I do. God does.

Thank you, God, for Angels. Both those with wings and those wingless ones who live among us but share the message You've already, obviously, shared with them."

David Lee Vail

Copyright 12/1/2008, by David Lee Vail