Hurricane Evacuees Pay It Forward After Eating At A Popular Restaurant

Dear Cracker Barrel Angel,

I wish you knew what your gesture did for our family this afternoon. We walked into Cracker Barrel in Tennessee this afternoon exhausted from our 2nd day of bumper to bumper traffic evacuating Hurricane Irma from Florida. We sat down to eat a warm overdue meal with all my favorite comfort foods, and I noticed you sitting alone at a table. Your spoon slowly raised to your mouth with such patience to taste each bite, while we ate feverishly which is likely a product of being parents. You left. Our bill never came.

Our server shared that you paid for our meal and my nose immediately felt swollen, a precursor to when I fight tears. My eyes welled up, and I knew at that moment the Lord had given your heart a nudge to shower kindness upon our family. We needed it, and I was overwhelmed with gratitude. What you didn’t know is that hours earlier I had shown that same kindness to elderly women just like you.

hurricane Irma evacuees

 

Although, this woman was in the chaos of Costco trying to get water for preparations for the hurricane. She was being bullied by a grown woman yanking her cart forcefully out of her very hands. I felt this old woman’s emotions of defeat, and I stepped in as the Lord nudged my heart. Words were not needed to her bully; I simply stared her in the eyes as a disappointed Mother would do and asked her to get her water and move forward. I then looked you in the eyes and said that you would be sharing a cart with me and I would get you water. I felt the nudge in my heart that God wanted you to have my cart to do more shopping. Going against all logic, I pulled my big cases of water out and told you to continue shopping with my cart. Your eyes welled with tears just as my eyes did today and we gave one another a long hug. I whispered in your ear, “Be safe.”

Today was a reminder good deeds do not go unnoticed by our Father. Listen to your hearts and when you feel that nudge simple respond. Maybe one day I will be able to thank you, but for now, you’re known as “Cracker Barrel Angel.”

-Angie

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