Stories About Us!

Written June 26, 2016

His clothes were dirty & worn. His eyes were weary, much too tired for a man in his late twenties. He held a sign that read “War Veteran, Homeless” Person after person passed by without acknowledging him as he leaned against the outside wall of the upper scale restaurant….

My wife Jenny said he was about the same age as our twenty-eight-year-old son Shane Thomas, who served on the front lines of the war in Iraq.

She also added “He was a veteran. I could see it in his face and eyes.”

Maybe it was the memory of his brother gone at war that caused the dirty young man holding the sign to catch the eye of our youngest son Chase, as he and mom walked into the restaurant with some close friends?

Chase sat quietly for a while after the waiter seated their lunch party. Jenny and the ladies were having a pleasant conversation the way friends do. They ordered from the menu and then picked up the conversation where they had left off…

Without warning, Chase interrupted and blurted out “We have to feed the War Veteran! We have to feed him!”

“Ohhh – OK” Jenny answered

“You better go ask him what he wants?”

Out of his seat and out the door he went. Jenny kept a close eye on him through the window…

Chase tapped the young man on the shoulder and the two began to have a conversation. Jenny could see them talking but couldn’t hear what was being said.

After a moment, Chase walked back into the restaurant; “He would like chicken fingers, fries and a Mountain Dew!”

“Alright.” Jenny replied. “You better go find our waiter.”

Chase strolled up to the waiter and the two began to have a conversation. Again, Jenny couldn’t hear exactly what is being said.

“They don’t have Mountain Dew.” Chase said upon his return to the table. “But I told the waiter that he would be perfectly fine with a Sprite!”

“I’m sure he will be.” Mom answered.

A few minutes later the Waiter returned with the meal to go for the war veteran. As he sat the check down, he paused and said “I want you know that I personally paid for half of the war veterans meal.”

“You don’t have to do that!” Jenny replied.

“I know I don’t. But I want to be part of paying it forward. I believe in paying forward.” The Waiter replied.

As they left the restaurant that day, Chase handed the young war veteran his meal.

“Thank You!” The young man said softly.

“No! We want to Thank You for your sacrifice and service to our country.” Came the reply, As the ladies took a moment out of their day to follow a young boy who listened to his heart.

As my wife told me the story that night, I thought to myself, I want to be more like Chase. Taking more time to listen and follow the leading of God in my heart…

A great life lesson from a boy and a soldier!