I work at Macaroni Grill. For those of you who don’t know much about it, it’s an Italian Restaurant with a mediterranean kick. We have good assortment of pasta dishes and pizzas. On occasion the servers get free food from winning the evening contest of selling the most.. whatever we’re supposed to sell the most of that particular day. Anyway, last week I worked a double shift and after I got off my manager gave me a Smokey Shrimp Flatbread for being the contest winner. It is one of the best pizzas Macaroni Grill has ever offered in my opinion. I was pretty stoked about it.
About the time I got off work it was a little after 8:00 pm and it was really cold outside. One of the coldest nights we’ve had so far. I get in my car and set my pizza in the passenger seat, I buckle up and begin to head home. As I’m pulling out of the parking lot I see a man on the corner. My first thought is “Good Gosh! It is too cold outside to be begging for money. This guy must really need it.” I pull up to the stoplight and I hear God tell me to give him my pizza. So I roll down my window to get a gush of 30 degree wind in my face and I offer him my pizza. “Yes ma’am! Yes ma’am! God bless you!” he said and he takes it and opens the box. I don’t think I will ever forget the look on his face. He was so excited. I rolled up my window and waited for the light to turn green. I looked over to see if he was eating and he wasn’t. He had shut the box and walked back over to my window. I’m thinking “great… this guy is allergic to shrimp or something.” I rolled down my window as he walked up and he asked, “Ma’am this pizza wasn’t meant for your family was it? I don’t want to be taking food from your kids.”
I hesitated before saying anything because I was a little taken back. “No.” I replied. “It’s all yours. God bless you.” And I roll my window back up. Tears started coming as I drove away. This man has no home, no job, no money, and until I pulled up he had no food. Yet he showed kindness and compassion for me and for my family. I thought I was the one meant to bless him but I drove away feeling like I had been the one blessed.
