Dear Friends,

It seems that some very important lessons in life I have learned sitting at the lunch counter. As often as I can, I leave campus to eat at a local café. Lunch and a crossword puzzle are very therapeutic! It’s a small restaurant open for breakfast and lunch and the most prominent feature is the counter – where I sit in the middle of the action. The owner cooks three days a week and has owned the place, her namesake, for 30 years. The waitress has been there for six years, the other cook for longer. His dad is the back kitchen guy. Most of the time when I’m there, the same people, mostly retirees, roll in and out. Most know each other by name. I do too – and their histories, their health, their habits, their quirks. It seems we all look out for each other, give advice, laugh, roll our eyes, you get the idea. But I’m rambling; what are the lessons learned?

It was months before they realized who I was. “Who is that guy who sits at the counter with his dress shirt and tie and does the crossword puzzle with a pen?” “Who is that guy who makes jokes but turns around with a serious conversation?” “Who is that guy that doesn’t swear but doesn’t lecture?” They learned my name first. “Huizenga, are you related to that guy that owns the Florida Marlins?” “What is your ethnic background?” Finally, I gave out a few business cards. “Oh, the Christian school. Uh, sorry about my language.” People who had felt comfortable with me before, now told different jokes, stopped talking about weekend parties, and gave sidelong glances. In time, most began to get comfortable again. Some still look at me as if I work for the circus… That Christian label makes some curious, some angry, some distant, and a few comfortable. And, after many months of sitting at the counter and talking to the same people, a few have asked me about my faith. I guess I’ve earned the right to share.

By now, you are asking, “Yeah, Yeah, what are the lessons?” Here is what I’ve learned at the lunch counter:
· Well, people are people, no matter where you go.
· Many senior citizens crave social contact, familiar faces, and comfortable routines (and, I guess, so do I), like “Cheers,” where everybody knows your name…
· The label “Christian” makes a lot of people REALLY nervous.
· I work better at sharing my faith when I’ve earned the right to talk about the intimate things in life that really matter. I earn the right by being a friend…