I got to daily Mass today for the first time since my surgery. I’m moving slowly (as I told a friend the other day, I’m definitely the “tortoise” rather than the “hare” these days) but I get there.
After church I was hungry and really wanted some Chick-Fil-A breakfast. So I headed over there and ordered my Chicken Minis and a sweet tea in the drive-through. In no time at all, I thought, I’d be home munching on chicken.
But the car ahead of me took a long time. I felt kind of impatient until I started paying attention to the occupant of that car. It was an older woman with a handicapped tag dangling from her rear-view mirror and a “Conquer Cancer” license plate. A store employee repeatedly poked her head out of the drive-through window to speak with the customer, offered her a daily newspaper, and generally spent some extra time making sure everything was taken care of. The whole time, she had a smile on her face.
Needless to say, once I’d observed a little bit about who was ahead of me, I was ashamed of my own impatience.
When it was my turn, a different employee handed me my food and apologized for the long wait. “It was not a problem,” I told her.
I’m impressed with the level of service that was provided to the woman ahead of me in line. I’m not surprised, because this is Chick-Fil-A, and that restaurant never fails to exceed expectations in terms of service, cleanliness, and food quality. The employees are unfailingly helpful and polite.
Today I will take the time to contact the Chick-Fil-A manager and compliment his employees. And I will take the time to pray for the woman ahead of me in that drive-through line. You never know what someone else’s needs and cares truly are; you never know their circumstances; and sometimes you are kept waiting for a very good reason.
